Wildwest High School
by Magma Red
Summary: This is a story I made up of Joe when he was eighteen and in high school.
1. Chapter 1

**Note: This is a story I made up of Joe when he was eighteen and in high school. What happens in this doesn't happen in my current Fossil Fighter's fan fiction.**

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Chapter One- Meeting

Joe looks at the clock. _'Come on... one more minute...'_ He thought. He had shaggy, dark strawberry blonde hair with two locks of hair that hung down on both sides of his face that stopped at his nose, a brown cowboy hat that had two angry yellow eyes, black jagged mouth with two brown points that stuck out at the ends of the mouth, and the rim of the edge of the hat was yellow. He had friendly, soft, light blue eyes, tan skin, black gloves with red and white cuffs, a brown short sleeved shirt, light yellow bandana around his neck, black vest with white edges and a collar that stuck up and covered the lower half of his head, black pants and leather belt, a coat that was black on the sides, top of the arms and chest, while the rest was brown. He had cowboy boots with rounded toes, thick soles, and shag on the part that is on the legs.

_'You're eager to leave school, aren't you?' _His Ptera asks.

_'Yep. After today, there'll be one more month then I can go back to Vivosaur Island.' _Joe tells him. He had become a Fossil Fighter and gotten Master Status three years earlier, and each summer he had gone back to Vivosaur Island. _'Besides, ya know I enjoy the flights we go on after school.'_

_'True, true. But still.' _Ptera says. The bell rings, and Joe jumps up from his desk and out the door. He walks down the hallway which is now full of chatting people hurrying to their lockers, and he come to his. He opens it, pulls out his backpack and starts putting some books in it.

"Hola Joe!" He turns to see his friends, Pablo and Sam walking over to him. Pablo has black hair, brown skin, dark brown eyes, a sandy colored sombrero, off-white short sleeved shirt, a light orange, brown and tan poncho, black pants, and black shoes.

"Howdy Joe." Sam says. He has blonde hair, blue eyes, a sandy cowboy hat, a red bandana around his neck, a long sleeved denim shirt, a leather cowboy vest, black leather belt, blue jeans, brown chaps, and light brown cowboy boots with pointed toes.

"Howdy ya'll!" Joe says cheerfully. "What should we do today?"

"We don't know." Pablo says in his Mexican accent. "We were hoping you had an idea."

"Whelp, I got nothin'" Joe tells them. He closes his locker, and they all walk outside of the school and sit down on the stairs.

"We could go truck gliding." Sam suggests.

"Naw." Joe says. "Ptera hates doin' that. Makes his wings real sore." What they would do it put a harness on Ptera, tie the end of the cord to Sam's truck, then Ptera would glide as the truck drove along.

"Then what should we do amigos?" Pablo asks. They all sit there thinking.

"Hey," Joe says. Sam and Pablo look at him. "what if we-"

"HELP!" Someone yells. The three boys look, and see someone running away from the school being chased by three other boys. Whoever they were, they had on a plain red jacket, blue jeans in the style of cargo pants, a plain white short sleeved shirt, thick soled brown hiking boots, and a red baseball hat that stuck out from under their hood.

"Those are the Robert triplets!" Sam exclaims. They all had brown hair and brown eyes, black leather biker vests, light blue sleeveless shirts, baggy black pants, black belts, and thick black boots.

"That means their either chasin' someone ta scare 'em, or their chasin' a girl." Joe says. "C'mon!" Joe throws Ptera's medal in the air, and he comes out.

"You go ahead! We'll catch up!" Sam tells him. Joe jumps onto his Ptera and takes off while Pablo gets into the back of Sam's blue pick-up truck and Sam gets in on the driver's side, then starts up the car. Joe flies over the three boys chasing the hooded person as Sam's truck drives up next to the one on the left. Pablo grabs him by the collar of his vest, knocks him out, and pulls him into the back of the truck.

"HELP!" The person yells again.

"Don't worry! We're takin' care of it!" Joe yells to them. Sam's truck comes up next to the one on the right, and Pablo does the same thing as with the last one. Sam slams on the breaks and does a sharp turn to avoid a pothole, but still gets stuck in it. Ptera flies down over the last Robert triplet, and they all go into a canyon. _'Easy now...' _Joe tells Ptera.

_'Don't worry.' _He tells Joe. Joe reaches out, grabs the collar of the triplet's vest, and the triplet yanks Joe off his Ptera. They fall to the ground, roll around wrestling, and after a few minutes, Joe knocks him out.

"This one NEVER goes down withoutta fight." Joe tells the person as he ties the triplet's behind his back.

"Th-thanks..." The person says. Their voice is a girl's, and sounds more like an angel's rather than a human's.

"Don't mention it." Joe says as he stands up. "I'm happy to-" He says as he turns around to face the person. His blue eyes lock with shining green eyes, that looked as if the purest and most perfect emeralds had been put into them. The girl is his age, and has pulled down her hood to reveal hair that looks like pure, golden sun shine that has been woven into a braid and a completely natural completion that gives her thick, long black eyelashes, a rosy blush, and full, pink, kissable lips. His and the girl's smiles vanish when they look into each other's eyes. They stand there, looking deep into each other's eyes with their mouths slightly ajar. A warm, amazing feeling pops into Joe, and he feels his heart swell. Oddly,

He finds that he likes it.

_'Okay... I'm here.' _Ptera says as he land next to Joe. _'What'd I-... Joe?' _He looks at Joe with a quizzical look, then at the girl. _'... I see ROMANCE!' _

_'What?' _Joe exclaims as he quickly looks at his Ptera.

_'C'mon! I SAW it!' _Ptera tells him. _'Didn't you know you were staring into her eyes like an idiot? A love-sick one?'_

_'I didn't have that look on mah face!'_

_'Eh, maybe not. But still! You're in LOOOOOVVVEE!'_

_'AM NOT!'_

_'ARE TOO!'_

_'AM NOT!'_

_'ARE TOO!'_

_'AM NOT!'_

_'ARE-'_

"Are... are you two arguing?" The girl asks. Joe realizes that he and Ptera are pressing their forehead against each other and looking at each other with hard, angry faces. They pull their heads back.

"Uh... s-sorta..." Joe tells her. He looks at her, and their eyes lock again. "Uh... M-mah name's Joe... What... what's yer's...?"

"S-S-Sarisa..." She tells him.

"... That... that's a nice name..."

"Th-thanks..." They stand there, staring into each other's eyes, and Joe looks down at his feet and shuffles them back and forth nervously. He looks up at Sarisa to see she's looking at her feet which are also shuffling back and forth. She looks up at him, and Joe quickly looks back down at his feet.

_'I think she likes you.' _Ptera says.

_'Yer not helpin'.'_ Joe tells him.

_'Hey, I'm just saying.' _He tells Joe.

"So... you're a Fossil Fighter?" Sarisa asks.

"Uh... I'm... I'm actually a Master Fighter..." Joe says scratching the back of his head nervously.

"What... what kind of vivosaur is this...?" She asks.

"A Ptera." Joe tells her. "He's mah favorite."

"He's... not dangerous... right...?"

"Uh... n-no he's not... He's as gentle as a lamb... usually." The comment makes Sarisa giggle, and it make Joe feel great. He scratches Ptera on the jaw, and the vivosaur happily closes its eyes, and enjoys it.

"Can... uh... could I... try that?" Sarisa asks.

"Uh... s-sure... He won't bite..." Joe tells her. She takes a step forward, and as she lifts up her other foot, she trips on a rock.

"GAH!"

"WHOA!" Joe lunges forward, catches her, and they both fall to the ground with Joe on the bottom and Sarisa on top with her arms resting on Joe's chest and Joe holding her by her upper arms. She pulls her head up, and their eyes lock again. Their eyes get big, and their faces red. Joe gulps nervously, and his eyes look at her lips, then back at her eyes.

Sam drives his truck into the canyon he and Pablo saw Joe's Ptera fly into. "Do you see them?" Pablo asks through the sliding window.

"Nope. Not yet." He slows down his truck and silently stops at the top of a decline in the canyon. "They must have gone down-" Sam stops as he steps out of his truck.

"What is it amigo?" Pablo asks getting out of the back. He puts a hand on Sam's shoulder. "What's the matter?"

"Is she a PERSON, or an angel?" Sam asks pointing. Pablo looks, and his shoulders slump and his eyes get big. A beautiful girl the same age as them was on top of Joe who was on the ground. They stared into each other's wide eyes and their faces were red.

"I don't know..." Pablo says resting his elbow on Sam's shoulder. "But I want one..."

"... What?" Sam asks looking at Pablo with confusion. Pablo looks at him.

"What? You know it's true." Pablo tells him. Sam just shakes his head.

"Well you know what I think?" Sam asks.

"What do you think?"

"I think they... LIKE... each other... and they're like that because one of them was trying to flirt with the other."

"... That is a good point..." Pablo says looking back at Joe and the girl. "In that case we need to push them together."

"..." They both stand there thinking, and an idea pops into their heads...

They walk down the decline and to Joe and the girl who are now standing up and looking into each other's eyes. They both look at Sam and Pablo with confusion. Sam gets behind Joe, and Pablo gets behind the girl. They push the girl and Joe together.

"NOW BE A COUPLE!" They both tell Joe and the girl.

Sam and Pablo both blink, and look down the decline at Joe and the girl who are still on the ground. They look at each other. "That... Is a TERRIBLE... idea." Sam says.

"Sí." Pablo says. "We need to do this... secretly."

"... I have an idea." Sam says.

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**Note: That falling onto the ground was a complete accident. LEAVE A REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN-I would like to thank Graywing44 for suggesting me the name Sarisa to use. Thanks pal! :D**

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Chapter Two- Getting to know

Joe stared deep into Sarisa's emerald eyes. He was completely lost in them. _'You know, I think when she was born, they sent down an angel rather than a person.' _Ptera tells Joe.

_'Uh... P-P-Probably... b-but ya st-stay outta this!' _Joe tells him.

_'Alright lover boy.' _

_'D-Don't call me that!'_

_'LOVER BOY! LOVER BOY! LOVER BOY!'_

_'... Here we go...'_

_'Whaaaaaaaat? You know it's true!'_

_'Alright fine! So what? Shoot me!'_

_'But I can't hold a gun...'_

_'I-! That-! It's just a sayin'!'_

_'I know, I know. It's just fun to mess with you is- Hey! There's Sam and Pablo!' _Joe turns his head to look at the decline in the canyon, and at the top is Sam's blue pick-up truck. Standing next to it is Sam and Pablo. Sam has his arm around Pablo's neck, and is whispering something into Pablo's ear. They both look at Joe and Sarisa, and Pablo murmurs something to Sam.

_Wait... Are they...? _Joe's face gets solid red as he realizes their talking about him and Sarisa. He looks back at her to see she's looking at Sam and Pablo. "Uh... S-S-S-Sorry!" Joe stammers. "That... that was my fault." Sarisa looks at him, her eyes wide and face red.

"N-No it wasn't! It... It was my fault! I-I tripped over that rock, n-not you." She tells him. Joe helps her up.

"Y-Ya alright?"

"Y-Y-Yeah... I-I'm fine..." They stand there staring into each other's eyes.

"Hola amigo! Who is this Hermosa Niña?" Pablo asks. "And why are you holding her hands?" Joe and Sarisa look to see that they are holding hands. They quickly let go and jump back away from each other.

"What does Hermosa Niña mean?" Sam asks.

"Mi nombre es Ann Sarisa hacia el Este." Sarisa says. The three boys look at her in surprise. "And Hermosa Niña means 'Beautiful Girl'."

"You speak Spanish?" Sam asks.

"And Latin... And Greek... And German... And French... Not to mention Norwegian, Italian, and Swedish." Sarisa tells them with a smile. They blink with surprise.

_'Beautiful AND smart!' _Ptera tells Joe.

_'Uh... I... Wh-What about it?' _Joe asks him.

_'Those two are hard to find together.'_

_'... Yeah... that's true... but she probably has a boyfriend... I bet he's tall, good-lookin', smart, strong, and funny... and is... real good... at... k-k-kissin'...'_

_'I don't know... She COULD have one... or maybe she's free...'_

_'Ya kiddin'? Someone like her? There's probably a ten mile long line a fellas beggin' her to go out with 'em.'_

_'Probably. But that doesn't matter! You just gotta woo her is all!'_

_'HOW? What do I got that could impress her?'_

_'Well there's-'_

"So how long have you been here?" Sam asks Sarisa.

"We got here early this morning." She tells him. "The high school in the town I'm from had to shut down for repairs, so me, my Ma, and my Pa came here so I could finish up high school."

"Yer an only child?" Joe asks.

"No... no... I unfortunately have an older sister who's REALLY bossy... and nosey." Sarisa tells him.

"I got an older brother like that." Joe tells her. "Um... what did you say in Spanish?"

"My name is Sarisa Ann Eastward."

"Ah."

"My name is Sam Thomas Gregory." Sam says.

"I am Pablo Hosea Dune." Pablo tells her.

"What's your full name Joe?" Sarisa asks him.

"Joseph Nicodemus Wildwest." He tells her.

"Well, it was nice meeting you Sarisa, but we need to get these three trouble makers back to their house." Sam tells her. Pablo gets the triplet over his shoulder.

"I'll get 'em in the truck." Joe tells him stepping forward.

"No, I got him." Pablo says as Sam holds up the triplet by his feet with Pablo holding him up by the shoulders.

"Okay... Ya'll need any help?"

"No, we got him." Sam says. "Hey, while we're getting these three back to their house, why don't you show Sarisa around?" Joe and Sarisa both get DERP looks on their faces.

_"Sounds good to me!" _Ptera says. Everyone looks at him. _"C'mon! Climb on and I'll fly you over the town while Joe points out the places of interest! It should only take about two minutes!" _Everyone laughs.

"Yeah, the town is kinda small." Joe says.

"Whelp, we'll see you two later!" Sam calls as he and Pablo get into the truck with Sam on the driver's side and Pablo in the back with the triplets. The truck backs out, and drives away.

"..." Nobody says anything for a second. Joe and Sarisa look at each other, and Sarisa brushes her bangs aside.

_'... Ya know...' _Joe tells Ptera. _'it... it looks cute how her bangs barley cover the tops 'a her eyes... It give her a cute... curious... innocent look...' _Joe feels his face get hot as he says this.

_'Hey Lover Boy, she sees you blushing.' _Ptera tells him. Joe quickly looks at his feet, allowing the brim of his hat to cover his face.

"Uh... so... we're going to ride around on... him?" Sarisa asks looking at Ptera. Joe slowly looks up at her, then looks at Ptera.

"Uh... Yeah! Um... L-Let's go." He walks over to Ptera, then looks back a Sarisa to see her eyes wide with fear. "What's the matter?" He asks.

"I... I don't... really like heights..." She tells him.

"D-Don't worry... It... It's safe..."

"Y-You sure...?"

"I..." Joe looks at the ground nervously and bites his lower lip. "I... I wouldn't take you up if it wasn't..." He stands there, his hand on Ptera side and looking at his feet with his face red.

"... Okay..." Sarisa says. He looks at her, to see she's hugging herself and she has a faint smile on her face. Joe smiles shyly, and climbs onto Ptera. He hold out his hand, helps Sarisa onto Ptera, and she puts her hands on his shoulders.

"Let's go." Joe tells Ptera. He takes off very quickly, and out of fear, Sarisa throws her arms around Joe and buries her face against his left shoulder, making Joe blush. _'DON'T SCARE HER LIKE THAT!'_

_'Heh heh...'_ Ptera laughs. They fly out of the canyon and over the town. Sarisa looks over the side, her eyes get big, and she buries her face back against Joe's shoulder.

A few minutes later...

"It is a small town." Sarisa says peeking over the side.

"Yep." Joe tells her. "Mah Grandpa said that when he was a kid, he just stepped outta his front door and he was at the school house." Sarisa giggles, and looks at the clouds.

"You know... this isn't so bad."

"Yeah... Ya just gotta get used to it is all."

"...By the way... Earlier, when you said he was usually as gentle as a lamb, what did you mean by-" Ptera suddenly does a loop-da-loop, causing Sarisa to hug Joe tighter and bury her face back against his shoulder. Joe hangs onto Ptera, and Ptera falls at a ninety degree angle, then straightens out flat and flies right over a car as it drives down a street in the town. People with shocked expressions watch as Ptera zips down the street, Sarisa's braid flapping like a kite tail. Ptera flies straight up, goes at least two hundred feet in the air, then falls at a forty degree angle while doing barrel rolls. He then angles himself upward, and makes an arch. While he is making it, as he descends Joe feels himself get lifted up in the air for a second, then falls back on Ptera. Ptera folds his wings flat against his sides, and they fall extraordinarily fast. As they near the ground, he fans out his wings, and gently lands.

_'As gentle a lamb.' _Ptera says.

_'Are... ya... CRAZY?' _Joe yells. They were in a field outside of town. _'Ya must've scared her half ta death!'_ Joe looks at Sarisa to see she's hugging him for dear life with her face buried against his shoulder. "It... It's okay... W-We're on solid ground." Sarisa looks at him, and their eyes lock. They both sit there for a second, staring deep into each other's eyes.

And stare...

And stare...

And stare...

_"Hello?" _Ptera asks. They both snap out of it, and Joe climbs down off Ptera, then helps Sarisa off.

"Y-You wanna walk around some...?" Joe asks.

"Uh... S-Sure!... If... If that's... that's okay with you..." She says.

"Uhhh... C-C-Course! Um... Let... Let's get going!" Joe says nervously.

A couple hours later...

Joe sat on Ptera's back as he flew gently and slowly through the air while Sarisa held on to Joe by his shoulders. She turned her head to look out at the soft sunset that was spreading across the sky as the sun dipped behind the horizon.

"This... This is... peaceful. Soothing even." She says.

"You oughtta see it at night. It's real nice then." Joe tells her.

_'I don't think you should have said that.' _Ptera tells him.

_'An' why not?' _Joe asks.

"C-Could... Could we?" Sarisa asks.

"What?" Joe asks looking over his shoulder at her.

"F-Fly... Fly until after dark..." She says as she blushes. Joe feels his face get hot.

"Uh... If... If you wanna... W-We can..." Joe says. He turns his head back to hide his blush. _She's amazing. Straight A student, training to be a doctor, sweeter than sugar, and...' _He feels Sarisa rest her head on his shoulder. _... irresistible. I wish I had met her sooner. I never thought I would fall in love with someone. 'Specially a goddess. _He had also learned that her and her parents were staying in a small, but nice, house that was for rent while her older sister watched the house in her home town. _I hope SHE don't come fer a visit... Don't need her thinkin' I'm gonna... k-k-kiss... Sarisa..._

Later...

Ptera flew through the cool velvet night smoothly. The star glittered like diamonds, and the full moon illuminated the world with silver rays. Joe and Sarisa sat on Ptera's back, looking at the night sky with wonder. After a bit, Ptera landed, and Joe and Sarisa climbed off.

"The stars are always so clear out here..." Sarisa says as she sits down on the ground. She lays down, resting her head on a fallen log.

"Yep. That's one thing them big cities don't have." Joe says as he walks over and lays down, a foot of space between them.

_'Bit romantic, eh lover boy?' _Ptera asks from a few yards away.

_'You-! YOU-! STAY OUTTA THIS!' _Joe tells him as his face gets hot.

"So... What do you plan on doing after graduation?" Sarisa asks.

"Going back to Vivosaur Island to continue being a Fossil Fighter." Joe tells her.

"So that's what you're going to be?"

"Yep. Maybe do some adventurer stuff on tha side, but mostly Fossil Fightin'."

"I remember when I was little, I dreamed of being a Fossil Fighter."

"Really?" Joe asks looking at her. "Why didn't ya become one?"

"Well..." She sighs. "My sister. She nags that I can't take care of myself, so my parents wouldn't let me. Then I found out how good of a doctor I would make, so then I want to be a doctor."

"... Ya could do both..."

"I know... but still. At least being a doctor will keep my sister quiet."

"What's her name?"

"Elizabeth."

"..." Joe sits there and stares at Sarisa's emerald eyes, which the stars reflect off of. She looks at him.

"... Why are you staring at me?" Sarisa asks. Joe quickly looks back up at the sky and feels his face get burning hot. Sarisa sit there a second, then looks back at the sky. They sit there for a few minutes in silence.

"Ya know... I dream of buildin' a place rich in fossils where Fighters all over the world can come to dig an' battle to their hearts content." Joe says. Sarisa looks at him.

"Really?" She asks.

"Yeah..." Joe tells her. She sits there a second, then looks back at the sky.

"You can do it." She says. Joe looks at her.

"..." He sits there for a second, then looks back at the sky. _... She believes in me... _The amazing feeling gets a stronger hold on him. A chilly wind blows up, and Sarisa shivers. "You cold?" Joe asks looking at her.

"A bit. But not much." She says. Joe sits there a second, then looks back at the sky, and gulps. He timidly wraps his left arm around her. She looks at him, then moves closer to him, making the space between them disappear. She puts her head on his shoulder, and her blush deepens. They sit there in silence for a few minutes.

"Uh... I... I should probably be getting ya home..." Joe says.

"Yeah... My parents are gonna be sore at me for missing supper..."

_It's weird. I'm not hungry or tired, and a day like today I oughtta be starving and plum tuckered out._ Joe thinks. He helps her up, and they climb onto Ptera's back.

A few minutes later...

"Thanks for the lift." Sarisa says as she walks up the steps to the porch.

"Uh... no problem!" Joe says nervously. "If... If ya ever need a ride..."

"Don't worry. I won't go to strangers." Sarisa says with a smile. Joe feels his face get hot.

"Uh... Right! I... I-I'll see ya 'round!"

"Bye..." She turns and goes into the house, and Joe climbs onto Ptera. Ptera takes off, and Joe watches the house disappear as Ptera flies towards his house. Joe looks forward, and a happy, idiotic smile spreads across his face, he slumps, and his eyes become half lidded.

_...She's... _He sighs swoonfully. _... indescribably amazing... _


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three- Talking

Ptera flies over the town, and out to a ranch with a sign over the entrance that has two W's on it. He lands outside the house, Joe climbs off, calls Ptera into his medal, picks it up, and puts it in a pocket on the inside of his coat. He quickly runs up onto the wooden porch, opens the door and rushes into the house. The living room has a wooden floor, rug in the center of the room, TV above the fire place, a couch against the wall opposite of it, a glass coffee table in front of that, a door way leading to the kitchen next to the fire place, a door way that leads into a hallway on the left side of the far wall, and two sitting chairs in the right corner.

"Joseph!" A woman says. Joe looks to see his mother coming through the doorway to the kitchen. She has brown hair, light blue eyes, is a bit shorter than Joe, has a white short sleeved shirt, denim vest, blue jeans, thick-soled shoes, and a white apron on. "Where in the WORLD have you been? It-"

"Sorry 'bout missin' supper and being out late Ma." Joe says hugging her. "I was flyin' on Ptera and the time got away." He kisses her on the forehead, the rushes down the hallway, goes in the last door on the left into his room, shuts the door and leans against it. His room has a large window on the left side of the room, a chair next to it, a twin-sized bed in the middle of the room that has bed stands that connect to the ceiling, a dresser right of the door, and a night stand next to the right side of the bed. Joe gets a wide foolish grin, his eyes become half lidded, and he slides to the ground with his toes pointed inward. He sighs swoonfully. _Golly... Sarisa's... _He sighs swoonfully again, then gets up and falls on the middle of his bed with his limbs spread out and his hat covering his eyes.

"Joe...?" He hears a man say as the door opens. The door closes, weight on the bed shifts as someone sits down, and Joe's hat is taken off his head. Sitting on his bed is a man with strawberry blonde hair, green eyes, a straw cowboy hat, brown leather jacket, black shirt, blue jeans, and cowboy boots.

"Hey Pa..." Joe sighs staring at the ceiling with a love-sick expression.

"Joe...?" His Pa asks confused. He drops Joe's hat back on his head. "Okay, who is she?"

"Sir?" Joe asks sitting up and pushing his hat back.

"The girl you met. You've never had that expression, you've gotten in late and when straight to your room without even stopping for so much of a thought of getting supper..." Pa says. "So, who is the girl you met?"

"Girl? Girl? GIRL?" Joe asks grabbing his Pa's jacket by the collar and getting an inch away from his face with wide eyes. "Pa, I didn't meet no girl! I met an ANGEL is what I met!"

"...Angel...?"

"Yes sir!" Joe lets go of his Pa's jacket and falls back on his bed with the love-sick expression. "She's got hair that looks like pure golden sun shine, eyes that look like the purest, most perfect emeralds, the voice of an angel, is a straight A student, is sweeter than sugar and can speak EIGHT different languages..." He sighs swoonfully again.

"...Well... I never thought I would see you fall in love." His Pa says surprised. "But she does sound nice."

"Yeah... She's wonderful..." Joe sighs.

"...You didn't kiss her, right?"

"'Course I didn't!" Joe says sitting up quickly and blushing. "I just met her today after school!"

"But I bet you WISH you did didn't you?"

"I-! No sir!" Joe crosses his arms, hunches his shoulders, and gets a grumpy look on his face.

"Besides having gold hair and emerald eyes, what else did she look like?" Pa asks. Joe sits there a second, then his shoulders relax, and he gets the love-sick expression again as he thinks of her.

"She's got thick, long black eyelashes, a rosy blush like an autumn sunset, slender arms an' legs, is real thin, and..." He hugs himself, and sighs swoonfully. "...has full pink lips."

"... Joe?"

"Yeah Pa?" Joe asks looking at him.

"Promise me you won't do anything stupid like your brother would in this situation."

"I won't Pa." Joe tells him.

"Good." He pats Joe on the shoulder, gets up, and leaves the room.

_...I wonder what Sarisa thinks of me..._ Joe wonders.

Sarisa sat on her bed in a soft white cotton short sleeved shirt and soft white cotton pajama bottoms with pants legs that would drag across the floor. Her hair was unbraided, allowing it to fall to the middle of her back as a soft, thick curtain. She sat cross-legged, tenderly hugging her pillow with her head rested on top, her eyes closed, and a swoonful smile on her face.

"Sarisa?" A woman's voice asks as the door opens. Sarisa lazily opens her eyes and sees her mother standing in the door way with her hand on the door knob.

"Yes ma'am?" Sarisa asks with a love-sick voice. Her mother sits on the foot of the bed.

"Are you alright?" Her mother asks.

"I'm wonderful..." Sarisa tells her. Her mother sits there for a second, then puts her hand on the side of Sarisa's face and sighs.

"I knew this day would come..." Her mother says. "Now who is he?"

"Ma'am?"

"You've met a boy."

"...I... Yes ma'am. I have."

"What's he like?"

"He's really nice."

"What else?"

"..." Sarisa says nothing. _He has friendly, soft, light blue puppy-dog eyes, thick, dark strawberry blonde hair, as far as I can tell, perfectly toned muscle, and is the most wonderful, amazing, lovable and irresistible person I've ever met. _She thinks to herself. She thinks of how they rode on the back of Ptera, looking at the sunset and night sky, the chat they had, and Joe putting his arm around her when she got cold. _That felt so good... I felt safe and I was warm... I never thought I would say this about a person, but... I have to admit... he's... _She hugs her pillow a bit tighter and blushes. _...dreamy..._

"Sarisa?" Her mother asks.

"Yes ma'am?" Sarisa asks blinking lazily.

"You didn't... kiss... him... right?" Sarisa's head shoots up.

"No ma'am! I met just earlier today!"

"I know, but you... just sat there and you blushed, so I was just wondering."

"Sorry Ma."

"It's okay. I just hope your father doesn't over react when I tell him."

"Don't worry. Joe's really nice. Pa will like him." Sarisa tells her mother. She smiles, then tells Sarisa good night, then leaves. Sarisa rests her head back on the top of her pillow, closes her eyes, and smiles swoonfully. _I know I like him... Then again, scratch that._

_ I love him._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four- Show off

The next day...

"WHOA!" Joe exclaims as his brother's horse galloped around the fenced in area next to the barn.

"Come here!" Jack shouts. He has a tan cowboy shirt, blue jeans, black chaps, off-white cowboy hat, dark brown cowboy boots, brown hair and green eyes. He runs after his horse, and manages to grab the reins.

"Careful!" Pa calls. "You horse is stubborn!"

"Don't worry Pa! I got him!" He manages to get into the saddle and lead the horse back over to the fence.

"Whelp, ya got 'em back over here after ya got yerself dragged around in the dirt some." Joe says with a smile. Jack glares at him. They hear a truck, and all look to see Sam's truck driving up the drive way. It stops not too far away, and Pablo climbs out of the back, Sam gets out of the driver's side, and Sarisa climbs out of the passengers side.

"Howdy ya'll!" Joe calls waving.

"Hola amigo! Hola Senior Wildwest!" Pablo calls waving. Joe looks at his brother to see him gawking at Sarisa. His horse then suddenly starts bucking.

"GAH!" Jack exclaims as he tries to hold on. His horse kicks him off, and Jack flies through the air, then hit the ground with a THUD.

"Oooooooooo!" Joe says cringing. "I got 'em." He hops over the fence, and runs after the runaway horse. He takes out his lasso, spins it around, and throws the loop around the horse's neck. He then manages to get it to be still enough to where he gets onto it's back. It begins bucking again, and Joe hold onto the saddle with one hand while the other keeps his hat on his head.

"Go Joe!" Sarisa yells. Joe looks, and sees that she, Pablo and Sam are all waving their hats around and his Pa is cheering him on.

"YEEEEEE-HAAAAAW!" Joe cries as the horse runs, kicks, and bucks trying to get Joe off.

A few minutes later...

"Yer plum tuckered out, ain't ya?" Joe asks patting the horse on the neck while it's sides heave. "Don't worry. Ya just need a little rest is all." He gets out of the saddle, and guides the horse back over to the fence with the reins in his hand.

"Good job Joe!" Sam says with a smile.

"Sí!" Pablo says.

"Joe, go help your brother." Pa says. Joe hands him the reins, then walks over to his brother whose in a daze.

"C'mon." Joe says pulling him to his feet. His brother rubs his face, then looks at Sarisa, who is chatting with their Pa. Jack points at her.

"Who's she?" He asks.

"Sarisa. She's new 'round here." Joe tells him. Jack looks at Joe, then back at Sarisa. He tugs at the tips of his collar with his hands.

"Hel-LO Sarisa!" He says. Joe takes his brother's hat, hits him upside the head with it, then puts it back on his brothers head.

"Yer two years older than her, an' she's in high school." Joe tells him.

"So?" He asks. He starts walking back over to everyone, and Joe rolls his eyes, then walks over to everyone. "Howdy there miss!" Jack says leaning on the fence. "I'm Jack."

"I'm Sarisa." She tells him. She looks at Joe and smiles. "How have you been Joe?"

"Good..." Joe says staring into her eyes.

"Joe," Pa says. "isn't this the girl you told me had-" Joe quickly slaps his hand over his Pa's mouth cutting him off, and looks at him with wide eyes and a red face.

"Told you I had what?" Sarisa asks.

"Straight A's!" Joe says quickly. Everyone looks at Joe's Pa, and he nods.

"Oh... then why'd you cut him off?" Everyone looks back at Joe.

"Uh..." His mind races. "I... didn't... uh... no reason!"

"..." Everyone looks at him confused, and Joe looks at the ground, allowing his hat to cover his face.

"...Okay..." Sam says. "So how are you Mr. Wildwest?" Joe takes his hands off Pa's mouth.

"Good... Good... How are ya'll?" He says.

"Good." Sam tells him.

"Sí." Pablo says nodding.

"Hello Sam! Hello Pablo!" Ma calls. They all turn to see her on the porch with a tray of lemonade. She puts it down on a small table, and walks down and over to them.

"Hola!" Pablo says.

"Hello Mrs. Wildwest." Sam says

"It's good to see you two." She says. "How are you two?"

"Good." Pablo tells her.

"So-So." Sam says. Ma nods, then looks at Sarisa.

"Well aren't you the most adorible thing I ever saw!" She says cheerfully while putting her hands on Sarisa's shoulders. Sarisa smiles sweetly.

"Thank you ma'am." She says. Joe stand there and looks at her. Her smile seemed to brighten the world and make the colors much more vivid.

"No wonder Joe wouldn't stop talking about you!" Ma says. Joe gets a DERP look on his face, and feels his face get hot.

"...Ma'am?" Sarisa asks with confusion.

"Well this morning at breakfast he just couldn't stop talking about you and he said that-"

"Hey Ma!" Joe says suddenly cutting in. "I just remembered somethin' real important 'bout one of the plants in the garden an' I thought ya might wanna take a look at it!" He says pulling her away from Sarisa and hurrying her toward the high wood fence around the garden. As he turns the corner to the back of the house, he sees Sarisa out of the corner of his eye standing there watching them with wide eyes and a light blush. Joe feels his blush deepen.

_'This isn't good...' _Ptera tells him.

_'Ya think?' _Joe asks. He opens the gate to the garden, hurries Ma inside, then closes the gate. He slumps against the gate, and his Ma looks at him.

"What's the matter Joe?" She asks. Joe stands there with a red, miserable face.

"In front of the girl I wouldn't stop talkin' 'bout, you said I wouldn't stop talkin' 'bout her." Joe tells her.

"So?" His Ma asks. "That doesn't mean anything." Joe looks at her.

"I don't want her to know I wouldn't stop talkin' 'bout 'er!" Joe tells her. "Do you have ANY idea how embarassin' that is?" His Ma puts her hand on his shoulder.

"Joe, I'm your mother." She tell him. "That's my job." Joe stands there, then hangs his head and sighs miserably. "Don't worry Joe. I think she likes you."

A few minutes later...

Joe stood in the barn, brushing his horse while Sam and Pablo helped his Pa to pitch some hay, and while Jack was trying to look good in front of Sarisa by talking about his horse. Joe rolls his eyes as his brother talks.

_'Doesn't he know when to shut up?' _Joe wonders.

_'Maybe if you gave him a mouth full of teeth?' _Ptera asks.

_'Don't tempt me.' _Joe tells him. He keeps brushing his horse, and he starts to look over at Sarisa and his brother. Sarisa is scratching the horse's jaw while his brother yammers on. Joe stands there, watching Sarisa with a small smile. Sarisa looks at Joe, and he quickly looks back at his horse, hurriedly brushes it and feels his face get hot. After a minute, he looks up to see Sarisa standing on the other side of his horse, petting it's mane. He stands there looking at her, while she gently pats the horse with a small smile. _... _Joe stands there, watching her and the wonderful feeling fills him. He then feels a light blush cross his face, and Sarisa looks at him. Their eyes lock, and they both stand there, staring into each other's eyes.

_'Need a map?' _Ptera asks.

_'...'_

_'Joe?'_

_'...What... Oh! Uh... Wait, what?'_

_'...Wow...You were hopelessly lost in her eyes.'_

_'...I-! You-! Stay outta this!'_

_'You just want to get lost in her eyes and never come out.'_

_'...Okay, that's true, but stay outta this!'_

_'Okay, okay.' _Sarisa looks past Joe with a confused look, making Joe look over his shoulder to see Sam, Pablo and his Pa watching him and Sarisa with smiles and a raised eyebrow.

_Oh no... _Joe groans. _Now THEIR gonna bug me 'bout it... _

"But anyways..." Everyone looks to see Jack never noticed Sarisa left him standing alone in his horse's stall with his horse.

_'What was he talkin' 'bout?' _Joe asks.

_'I dunno.' _Ptera tells him. _'I was too busy watching you be lost in Sarisa's eyes.'_

_'Yer gonna enjoy this, ain't ya?'_

_'OH YEAH.'_

_'Oh boy...'_

_'Heh heh...'_

"Anyways, I was wondering..." Jack says stretching his arms. One of his arms wrap around where Sarisa was standing, only to wrap around empty space. He looks with a confused face to see she's not there, and looks over at Joe, then glares at him. Joe smiles, then looks back at Sarisa to see she's resting her head onto top of her hand, which is on his horse's neck, and watching Joe with a faint smile.

_Uhhhh... _Joe feels his face get hot. They stand there for a second, then Sarisa lifts her head up and strokes the horse's mane.

"What's his name?" She asks.

"Silver Night." He tells her. His horse was pure black with silver where the light reflected off of him.

"That's a nice name for him." Sarisa says. Joe looks over his shoulder to see Sam, Pablo and his Pa have continued pitching hay, and Jack is giving the horses their feed.

A few minutes later...

"An' this is the youngest one, Wild Fire." Joe tells her pointing at a colt with reddish brown fur. Sarisa holds her hand out to him, and the colt nuzzles it. Sarisa smiles, and scratches the colt's jaw. "Uh... Ya wanna take 'em round the pasture?" Sarisa looks at him.

"What?" She asks.

"We do that to help the colts get strong legs." Joe explains. "We just put a bridal on 'em and lead 'em 'round the pasture." Sarisa smiles. Joe feels his insides melt.

"I'd love too." She says.

_'That smile just drives me crazy...' _Joe thinks.

_'And her lips make you go wild.' _Ptera tells him happily.

_'Stay outta this!' _Joe tells him. He get the colt's bridal, carefully puts it on the colt, and leads it out to the pasture. Sarisa then starts to lead it around near the fence, and Joe stands there, watching her.

"Joe," Pa says. Joe turns to look at him. "Could you go pump some water into the trough in the pasture?"

"Yes sir!" Joe says. He hurried walks out to the pump and trough, gets a firm grip on the handle, and starts to pump it, making water come out. He looks over his shoulder to see Sarisa leading the colt, and Jack trying to start a conversation with her.

"So..." Jack says. "what are you afraid of?" Sarisa looks at him with bewilderment.

"Why should I tell you?" She asks.

"So that way I'll be able to defend you." Jack says. Sarisa face palms, and Joe rolls his eyes.

"Look, there's only a few people I trust enough to tell my fears to, and you're not one of them." Sarisa tells him.

"Then who is?" Jack asks her. Sarisa keeps walking, then looks over at Joe, who then quickly looks away.

"...I'm ain't tellin' you." Sarisa says.

"Well why not?" Jack asks with irritation.

"Because, I don't want to and I don't have to." Sarisa tells him. Silence. Joe switches hands for pumping, and he hears an almost inaudible hiss.

_What was-_

"**SNAKE!**" Sarisa shrieks. Joe whirls around, and Sarisa suddenly hugs him for dear life. Joe hugs her, and she stands there, terrified with her face buried in the crook of his neck. Joe stands there, with one hand on the back of her head, while his other arm is wrapped around her, and gently rocking her back and forth. He looks over where she was, to see Jack standing there with confusion and the colt galloping back towards the barn. Joe looks back Sarisa, and she just stands there with her hands as small fists on his chest.

"THIS is what you're afraid of?" Jack asks. Joe looks to see Jack walking over to them holding up a small garden snake. Sarisa looks over at him, and her eyes widen and face pales.

"KEEP THAT THING AWAY FROM ME!" She yells jumping behind Joe. Jack stops, looks at the snake, then a Sarisa, then at the snake. Joe looks at Sarisa to see she's looking at the snake with scared eyes, and has both hands on Joe's shoulder.

"It's just a garden snake." Jack says. "It's not gonna hurt you."

"Just take it away Jack." Joe tells his brother. "She's scared of it, and everyone has their fears."


	5. Chapter 5

**AN-Please Note: At Joe's high school, they have four classes that each last an hour and a half. Spoiler: Ptera will be teasing Joe "some" in this chapa. ONWARD, MY READERS!**

* * *

Chapter Five-School Day

That Monday...

_I'M GONNA BE LATE! _Joe thinks rushing down the empty hall way. _WHY did Jack have to hide my coat in a hay stack? _He sees the door to his first period, and the teacher appears, and shuts the door without seeing Joe. _ACK! _Joe tries to stop, but winds up slamming into the door instead. _OW! _He grabs his nose with his open hand while his other one holds his books under his arm. He hears the class laugh, and the teacher looks out the small window on the door with confusion.

"Joe?" He opens the door. He has a bald head, dark gray and grey hair, a short beard, a red tie, white dress shirt, black coat, black pants, and black dress shoes. "Are you alright?"

"Oh..." Joe moans. "My poor nose..."

"I think you'll be okay." The teacher tells him.

"Yes sir Mr. Khem." Joe tells him. He goes into the classroom rubbing his nose. The classroom is a science lab with counters with sinks and stools that have his classmates sitting in. One of them catches his attention.

Sarisa.

She was sitting alone at one of the labs writing something down in a note book. Joe sits at the counter he's assigned to with Sam and Pablo, and looks around again to see all the boys in the room are watching Sarisa.

_'Oh boy...' _Joe groans.

_'Looks like you have some competition...' _Ptera tells him.

_'I don't-! She's not'a prize to be won! I just want 'er to be happy, whether it's with me or someone else.'_

_ 'Then you're very mature.' _Ptera tells him.

_'Thanks...' _Joe looks at Sarisa out of the corner of his eye.

"Now, class." Mr. Khem says. They all look at him. "We have a new student, so will she please stand up and introduce herself?" He looks at Sarisa, and she finishes writing in the notebook, then stands up, and faces the class.

"I'm Sarisa." She says. "I'm from another town, and I came here to finish up high school since the one in my town shut down for repairs, and I've already made some new friends." She looks over at Joe, Sam and Pablo with a smile, then looks back at the class. "I hope to be a medical doctor one day, and to go to the finest university in the world to study for it."

"What're your interests?" Someone asks.

"Well..." Sarisa thinks about it. "I love to read, I know how to play a guitar, so I guess you could say I'm into music, I like to learn about Biology, Chemistry, the human body, zoology, and medicine, and I've always loved school." She stands there a second, then sits back down.

"I think you'll be a great student then." Mr. Khem says happily. "Now, since she doesn't have a lab partner, who-" Every boy's hand in the room shoots up except for Joe's, Sam's, and Pablo's. "...Uh..." Joe sits there, looking at the floor. "How about you Joe?" He tenses, then looks up some, and sees Sam and Pablo pointing at him.

"...Alright." Joe says. He gets his text book, note book, and other note book, and goes over to the lab Sarisa's sitting at. He sits in the free stool, and puts his stuff away.

"Now, today class we are..."

One hour and a half later...

The bell rings, and Joe gets his stuff, then walks out of the class room with his friends. He watches Sarisa out of the corner of his eye, as she talked to Pablo and they walked down the hallway.

_'I still can't believe Sam and Pablo got the teacher to make me her lab pardner...' _Joe tells Ptera.

_'Oh, come on Joe.' _He tells him. _'You know you enjoyed it.' _

_ 'I-! Did not!'_

_ 'Uh, YEAH YOU DID.'_

_ 'I did not!'_

_ 'You listen to every word she said like it was directions to the rarest fossils in the world, and you were always watching her out of the corner of your eye.'_

_ '...! WAS NOT!'_

_ 'Were too! You're lying. Tsk, tsk. I thought you knew better.'_

_ 'I-! I am not lyin'!'_

_ 'Yeah you are. Whenever you lie, you say 'I-!' So, you're lying.'_

_ '...'_

_ 'I think I've made my point.'_

_ 'Smart allic.'_

_ 'Lover boy.'_

_ 'I TOLD ya not to call me that.'_

_ 'LOVER BOY! LOVER BOY! LOVER BOY! LOVER BOY! LOVER BOY! LOVER BOY! LOVER BOY!'_ They reach their lockers, and Ptera continues to say it over and over again, and Joe finds out Sarisa was assigned the locker next to his.

_Today's gonna be fun... _Joe thinks miserably. All throughout the day, Joe finds that Sarisa is in all his classes, and is in the desk next to him, and when he speaks to her, Ptera would start calling him 'LOVER BOY!' over and over again. Joe found it annoying. It was like having a fly buzzing in his ear.

After school...

Joe pushes open the school's front door, and holds it open for his friends. "Thanks Joe." Sarisa tells him. He watches her walk down the schools steps.

_'It so cute how she holds her books...' _Joe mentally sighs. _'How it looks like she's huggin' 'em...'_

_ 'I bet you wish she would hug you.' _Ptera tell him happily.

_'I DO NOT!' _Joe snaps. Ptera snickers. _Ugh... Why can't he just drop it? _He walks down the steps, and looks at Sarisa to see she's sitting on the last one, writing in the notebook. He secretly did wish she would hug him. A familiar, but unfriendly face appears from around the corner, followed by two more.

"Hey." One of the Robertson triplets says. Sarisa quickly looks at them, then grabs her stuff, and runs over to Joe, Sam, and Pablo, and the boys form a wall which Sarisa hides behind.

"We're not gonna hurt you." Another triplet says.

"Leave 'er alone." Joe says with a hard face. Sarisa watches from over his shoulder.

"You can't tell us what to do." The other triplet says.

"Listen to Joe, Shay." Sam says. Each triplet had their own hairstyle, which corresponded to what they were called. Shay had his hair in a wolf knot, and the sides of his head were shaved. Hawk had a short mohawk, and Pine just had crazy, wild porcupine hair.

"Why should we?" Hawk asks.

"Because..." Joe says reaching into his inside coat pocket. He pulls out a fire-type Dino Medal. "I have this." He tosses it in the air, and it turns into a T-Rex. The triplets freeze, and T-Rex looks at them, then releases a thundering, threatening, terrifying roar. The triplets then runaway screaming bloody murder. "Good job." Joe tells his T-Rex. Sam and Pablo laugh, and Joe looks to see Sarisa trying not to laugh. He smiles, and catches T-Rex's Dino Medal, and puts it back in his inside coat pocket.

_'Is she your mate?' _T-Rex asks. Joe smacks the palm of his hand against his forehead.'

_'What do ya think?' _Joe asks.

_'I think you want her to be.'_

_ 'Quit talking to Ptera.' _The two vivosaurs snicker.

"Hey!" The hear a familiar voice call. They all look to see Jack standing next to his a small black car. He hurries up to them. "Need a ride home?" Jack asks Sarisa. She quickly shakes her head.

"N-no." She tells him.

"Then how are you going to get home?" Jack asks her.

"..." Sarisa stands there, thinking. "Joe offered me a ride on Ptera." She says. Joe realizes she's slightly hugging his arm.

"...He did?" Jack asks. Sarisa quickly nods. Jack looks at Joe. "Is this true?"

"..." Joe stands there for a second, then looks at Sarisa. "Ya wanna ride home on Ptera?"

"Yep." She tells him with the sweet smile that makes his insides melt.

_'Oh that smile...' _Joe thinks as he mentally sighs swoonfully. He looks back at his brother. "Yep. It's true." Jack stand there with a confused 'are you serious?' look.

"Well..." Jacks says. He pulls out a slip of paper, and hands it to Sarisa. "Don't hesitate to call." He winks at her, then gets back in his car and drives off. Joe watches the car drive off with a glare, and then feels Sarisa hug his arm a bit more, making his face soften and turn red.

_'Uh...' _Joe thinks.

_'Hey, you got your wish!' _Ptera tells him happily.

_'I-! I did NOT wish that she would hug me!' _Joe tells him.

_'Tsk, tsk, tsk.' _Ptera says mentally shaking his head. _'There you go lying again.'_

_ 'I. AM. NOT. LYIN'.' _Joe tells him.

_'Eh, you're right...'_

_ 'THANK YOU...'_

_ 'You wish that she would KISS you!'_

_ 'NO I DON'T!'_

_ 'Do TOO!'_

_ 'Grrrrr...'_

_ 'I bet you just wanna hold her in your arms and kiss her slowly and repeatedly.' _Ptera tells him happily.

_'I-! YOU-! __**I DO NOT!**__'_

_ 'Yeah you do!'_

_ 'NO!'_

_ 'YUSH!'_

_ 'Just get outta my mind...'_

_ 'Alright lover boy.'_

_ 'QUIT CALLIN' ME THAT!'_

_ 'Heh heh...' _Joe feels Ptera leave his mind, and realizes his face is deep red and is probably hot enough to melt an ice cube on.

"Joe?" Pablo asks. "Why does your face look like a chili pepper?" Joe quickly looks away from them to hide his blush.

"I... I'm just mad that my brother did that is all..." Joe tells them.

"Hm." Pablo says. "What's on that paper anyways?" Pablo asks Sarisa. She unfolds the slip of paper.

"..." She face palms and shakes her head. "A phone number."

"..." The boys all face palm and shake their heads.

"...What're the odds?" Joe asks. _She wouldn't... REALLY call 'em...right?_

"The chance I would call your brother is the chance a Lymphocyte leukocyte wouldn't try to stop an itis."

"..." The boys all just stand there.

"...Could you please say that in English?" Pablo asks.

"Leukocyte is the scientific word for white blood cell, and the Lymphocyte white blood cell is the one that stops diseases, which in Latin is called itis." Sarisa explains.

"Ah."

"Hm." Sam says.

"Yer gonna be a great doctor if ya know that off the top of yer right now." Joe tells her. She looks at him, and he quickly looks away. _Did I HAVE to say that out loud?_

"Th-thanks Joe..." Sarisa tells him. He slowly turns his head to look at her, to see the sweet smile on her face and her natural blush was a bit deeper.

_'That smile...' _Joe sighs.

_'Those lips...' _Ptera sighs imitating Joe's voice.

_'__**PTERA!**__'_

_ 'Heh.'_

"C-c'mon." Joe tells Sarisa taking out Ptera's medal. "I need to get ya home before anyone else unwanted comes 'round."

"All right." Sarisa says. Joe looks at the books she holding.

"I can put those in my back pack if ya me to." He tells her with a bit nervously.

"Thanks." Sarisa tells him. Joe pulls off his back pack, opens it, and Sarisa puts a note book and text book into the back pack, but keeps the note book she was writing in. Joe looks at the red notebook.

"Ya gonna put that in?" He asks.

"Uh... n-no..." She tells him. "It... it my journal..."

"Journal?" Pablo asks.

"Yeah..." Sarisa tells him. "I'm keeping one while I'm here, and I REALLY don't want anyone reading it..."

"Alright." Joe says closing his backpack and pulling back on. He lets Ptera out, climbs on, and helps Sarisa up. "See y'all tomorrow." Joe tells Sam and Pablo. Ptera takes off, and heads towards the house Sarisa ad her parents are staying in. Joe sits there, nervous, while Ptera smoothly glided along the air. He feels Sarisa hug him a bit tighter and rest her head on his shoulder, making his face grow warm. "Uh, Sarisa?"

"Yeah Joe?" She asks.

"What was th' text book for?" He asks.

"To study for the science test tomorrow."

"Science...?" He smacks his hand against his forehead. "Dagnabit!"

"What?"

"I just up done forgot about!"

"I could help you study." Sarisa tells him. Joe sits there a second then looks over his shoulder at her.

"Really?"

"Of course Joe." She says smiling happily.

_... _Joe mentally sighs swoonfully.

_'I'm guessing when she says your name, you hear it as an angel's sigh.' _Ptera says.

_'Yeah...' _Joe sighs. _'Wait... I-! YOU-! I DO NOT!'_

_ 'Do too.'_

_ 'DO NOT!'_

_ 'There's no reason to yell.'_

_ '...'_

_ 'So when are you going to kiss her?'_

_ 'I AM NOT!'_

_ 'There you go with the yelling and lying again! Really, Joe?'_

_ 'I'm not lyin'!'_

_ 'Let's face it Joe, you just wanna hold her in your arms, get forever, hopelessly lost in her eyes, and slowly kiss her with love and passion over and over again.' _

_'...!'_

_ 'I know I'm right.'_

_ 'YOU-! YOU-! __**YOU-!**__'_

_ 'What about me?'_

_'YOU-! !'_

_ '...Nargh?'_

_ 'QUIT MAKIN' UP STUFF LIKE THAT! I do like her, but not in the way yer describin'!'_

_ 'Quit denying it.'_

_ 'I'm ain't denyin' nothin'...'_

_ 'HA! You just admitted it!'_

_ 'No I didn't.'_

_ 'Yeah you did! Ain't and nothing are both negatives, so they cancel each other out, so you actually just said: I'm denyin'.'_

_ '...'_

_ 'You DO love her!'_

_ 'NO I DON'T!'_

_ 'Do you know the feeling you get around her?'_

_ '...'_

_ 'Well?'_

_ '...Yeah...'_

_ 'What is it?'_

_ '...It's...' _Joe mentally mutters something.

_'It's what?'_

_ 'It's...' _He mutters it again.

_'What was that?' _

_ '...It's...' _Joe hunches his shoulders some, while his face is a solid, deep red and burning hot._ '...love...'_

_ 'So what does that mean?'_

_ '...'_

_ 'Well?'_

_ '...Ya want me to be perfectly honest with ya?'_

_ 'Yes.'_

_ '...' _Joe takes a deep breath. _'I love her more than anythin' or anyone in the whole world, and if I had to choose between the whole world an' everythin' on it or her, I would choose her in a split second with no regret.'_

_ '...'_

_ 'There.'_

_ 'You're so adorable Joe.'_

_ '...I'm sorry but, WHAT?'_

_ 'You and Sarisa! You two would look adorable together!'_

_ '...' _Joe mentally face palms. Ptera flies a bit more, then lands under a tree. "You wanna study here?" Joe asks Sarisa.

"It's perfect." She tells him happily. Joe smiles shyly, then climbs of Ptera, helps Sarisa down, and she looks up at the tree.

"So the test is on chapter fourteen, right?" Joe asks taking the text book out of his back pack. No reply. He looks around to see Sarisa nowhere. "Sarisa?"

"Up here." She says. Joe looks up at the tree to see Sarisa in it. She smiles her sweet smile, and Joe feels his face get warm. He quickly looks at the ground. "Come on!" He looks back up at her, then puts the text book in his leather coat which was zipped up half way, and starts climbing up the tree. He gets up to the tree limb she's on, and pulls himself onto it, and sits against the trunk of the tree.

"Been awhile since I did any tree climbin'." Joe tells Sarisa.

"Really?" She asks.

"Yep."

"I've been climbing trees ever since I was three."

"Really?"

"Yep." She sits there on the middle of the limb, five feet away. Joe pulls the text book out of his coat, then feels something on his shoulder. He looks to see Sarisa sitting right next to him, her head on his shoulder, a faint smile on her face, and her eyes closed. Joe feels his face grow hot.

_'Joe and Sarisa, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.' _Ptera tells Joe.

_'PTERA!' _Joe yells at him, embarrassed by his remark.

_'Oh come on, YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO...' _Ptera tells him.

_'...So?' _Joe asks looking down at the text book to hide his face which had turned deep red, and as Ptera burst out laughing.

An hour later...

"So," Sarisa asks looking at a page in the text book. "what is Absolute Zero?"

"Uh..." Joe sits there thinking, then starts to look at the text book page.

"Hey!" Sarisa say putting a hand over his eyes. "No cheating!" Joe smiles some, and a light blush spreads across his face.

"Negative four hundred fifty-nine degrees Fahrenheit, and when all parts of an atom stop movin'." Joe tells her.

"Correct!" She says. Joe smiles, and her hand over his eyes slides down his cheek, onto his neck, and onto his shoulder. Joe looks at Sarisa to see their faces are an inch apart. "You're pretty smart Joe." She tells him.

"Well, ya helped." He tells her.

"How so?" She asks wrapping her other arm around his neck.

"Well..." Joe tells her as his arms wrap around her. "I can't forget anythin' ya tell me for some reason..."

"Oh really...?" Sarisa whispers as their heads get closer.

"Yeah..." He whispers back. He feels his heart swell, and the text book falls to the ground. His eyes close, his head tilts to the side, and...

_"HEY!" _Ptera exclaims.

"GAH!" Joe exclaims, falling out of the tree. He hits the ground with a THUD, and lays there a second before groaning. "That...HURT..."

"Are you alright?" Sarisa asks. Joe opens his eyes to see her kneeling down next to him.

"I think..." He says sitting up. He rubs his head, and feels a sharp pain in his back. "Ah!"

"What's wrong?" Sarisa asks worried.

"My back..."

_"It did hit the text book..." _Ptera tells them. Joe looks to see it right behind him. He moans as he feels another sharp pain. _"You don't think you broke anything...right?"_

"I could tell." Sarisa says. Joe and Ptera look at her. "I took some classes, so I should be able to tell if anything's broken."

"...Alright..." Joe says.

"Did you keep your head tucked down when you fell?"

"Yep."

"Good. Is there pain anywhere else?"

"Nope."

"Okay...I can see if anything's broken or not."

"Alright."

"..." Sarisa gets a slightly embarrassed look on her face. "You'll need to...take your shirt off..." Joe feels his face get hot.

"Uh...R-right..." He takes his hat off, and sets it beside him, revealing a full head of his thick, slightly wavy, dark strawberry blonde locks. He then unzips his coat, pulls it off and sets it with his hat, takes off his vest, and grabs the bottom of his shirt. He looks at Sarisa to see her looking at her feet. _Ugh...Why in tarnation did Ptera have to make me fall outta the tree? _He slowly pulls his brown t-shirt off. He had some muscle, and was void of any fat. "Alright..." Sarisa slowly looks up at him, her face red.

"Sorry..." She gets on her knees, and looks at his back. "Ouch."

"What?"

"You have a pretty bad bruise." She tells him. Joe feels her gently put her hand on the middle of his back, causing a sharp pain.

"Ow!" He grunts between grit teeth.

"Sorry! Sorry..." Sarisa tells him quickly. She slowly and gently puts her hand back on the middle of his back and gently feels his spine.

_I wish I had my hat on... _Joe thinks, his face red.

"Well, the worst thing that happened was this bruise." Sarisa tells him. "I can't do anything about it though..."

"Don't worry." Joe tells her. He quickly pulls his shirt back on, grabs his coat and takes out a Dino Medal. He tosses it in the air, and a Maia comes out. _'Think ya can help?' _In response, she gently touches his back, and the pain disappears.

_'There you go.' _She tells him. Joe smiles, then notices Sarisa has both hands over her mouth, and is trying not to laugh.

"What's funny?" Joe asks.

"Don't you think that vivosaur is a little girly?" She asks giggling. Joe feels his face get hot, and quickly puts his hat on to help hide his blush.

That night...

Joe sat in the living room at his house, playing chess with is Pa while Jack sat on the sofa next to the phone watching it, and his Ma sat in one of the sitting chairs, doing some patch work. His Pa moves a knight close to Joe's king. "Check." He says. Joe smiles, picks up a pawn, knocks over his Pa's king, and put the pawn in its place.

"Checkmate." Joe says. "Ya left yer king open by moving that knight." His Pa sighs.

"Yep." He says.

_'It's nice gettin' to relax after today.' _Joe tells Ptera. He had taken Sarisa home right after he put his vest and coat back on, which was right after he put his hat on. He looks at Jack, who was watching the phone.

"Expectin' a call?" Joe asks. Jack glares at him.

"You're just jealous that-" The phone rings, making Jack get quiet, and he immediately. "Hello?" He sits there a second, then smiles, crosses his ankle across his knee, and stretches his arm out on the back of the sofa. "Hey..." Joe feels a twang of pain in his chest. He looks back at the chess board to see his Pa was ready to start another game. "You what?" Joe looks back at his brother see his smile had vanished. "...Yeah, he's here..." He sits there a second. "...O...K..." Jack holds it out towards Joe. "It's for you." He tells Joe bitterly. Joe quickly gets up and takes it.

"Hello?" He asks.

"Hey Joe." Sarisa says.

"..." Joe stiffens. "Uh...hey."

"What is it Joe?" His Ma asks. Joe puts his hand over the mouth piece.

"Nothin'." He quickly walks out of the room, down the hallway to his bed room. He goes into his room, shuts the door, and sits down on his bed. "Hey Sarisa."

"Hey Joe."

"Uh...so...Whatcha ya callin' for...?"

"Well, I just...wanted to talk to you..."

"Oh..."

"That...that's okay, right?"

"Uh...Yeah! Yeah..."

"Okay..."

"..."

"..."

"Uh, thanks for helpin' me study...It...It really helped."

"No problem. I'm just sorry about the tree..."

"Uh...It-It wasn't yer fault I fell."

"No, I...well...I'm sorry about that, but I was..."

"...Y-yeah...?"

"I'm...sorry that you did fall..."

"Uh..."

"...And that you got hurt...but...I'm...mainly talking about falling out..."

"Uh..." Joe feels his face get hot.

"Uh...S-sorry, I...I shouldn't have told you that..."

"It-It's okay! I...I'm s-sorry 'bout that too..."

"..."

"Sarisa?"

"Y-yeah!"

"Right..."

"..."

"..."

_I hate awkward silences. _

"Uh, so what are you, Sam and Pablo doing this weekend?"

"Oh, uh... We're going on the campin' trip we go on before we get outta school... We've been doin' it ever since we were thirteen."

"Really?"

"Yep. We got this real nice campin' spot. It's got everything ya need fer a good trip."

"Sounds like fun..."

"Ya wanna come?"

"R-really?"

"...What?"

"...What?"

"..." Joe realizes what just happened. _DAGNABIT! Why in TARNATION did I just do that?_

"Joe?"

"Uh...Yeah?"

"Um...I...I'd love to come."

"R-really?"

"Yeah..."

"...Huh..."

"What?"

"I somehow just noticed, but yer a tomboy ain't ya?"

"Yep!"

"Yeah..."

"Well, I'll see you at school tomorrow!"

"Uh...O-okay."

"Bye."

"Bye." She hangs up, Joe hangs up, then falls back on his bed. _...Sam and Pablo are gonna KILL me when they find out..._

* * *

**AN-Wow. Way to go Joe. LEAVE A REVIEW!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six- Camping Trip

That Friday...

"Howdy guys!" Joe says as Sam's truck drives up to the house. Pablo climb out of the back, and Sam gets out of the driver's side.

"Hola Joe!" Pablo says happily. "You got all the stuff?"

"Yep!" Joe says holding up a list. "I got the food, drinks, tents, and my fiddle."

"Yes!" Pablo says jumping in the air. "Camp fire songs!"

"Wait," Sam says. "you were also in charge of the cooking supplies, I don't see the stuff, and why are there four tents?" Sam says looking at the small pile of tents, coolers, and Joe's fiddle case.

"...ABOUT that..." Joe says. Sam and Pablo look at him with a raised eyebrow, and arms crossed. "I might have, maybe, accidentally asked..."

"You asked Sarisa to come, didn't you?" Sam and Pablo ask in unison.

"Yeah." Joe says. "Sorry..."

"It's okay!" Pablo says happily. "She's our friend, and should be allowed to come with us camping!"

"But we're all boys..." Sam says.

"Sarisa's a tomboy." Joe tells him. "I'm sure she won't mind." Sam shrugs, and they put the gear into the back with the other stuff.

"You guys are going camping?" They hear Jack ask. They all turn to see him on the porch, watching them.

"Yep." Joe tells him.

"Camping's stupid." Jack tells him.

"We'll tell Sarisa you said that when we pick her up." Sam says climbing into the driver's seat.

"Wha...Sarisa's going with you guys?!" Jack exclaims.

"Yep." Joe says getting in the back seat while Pablo gets in the passenger seat.

"W-wait!" Jack says. "Can I come with you guys?!" Pablo rolls down the window.

"Sorry, only room for four." He tells Jack before rolling the window back up. Sam's truck makes a u-turn, and drives down the drive way. Joe looks out the back window to see Jack throw his hat on the ground, and stomp his foot. Joe chuckles.

A few minutes later...

Joe knocks on the door to the house Sarisa and her parents were staying in. The door opens a second later, and there's a woman with blonde hair in a bun, blue eyes, a nice blue shirt, a dark blue skirt that barely brushed the floor and a white apron on.

"Howdy." Joe says tipping his hat.

"So you're Joe." The woman says.

"Yes ma'am." Joe tells her. She smiles and shakes his hand.

"I'm Sarisa's mother, Carrie."

"It's nice to meet you ma'am." Joe tells her with a smile.

"Sarisa!" Mrs. Eastward calls. "Your friends are here!"

"Thanks Ma!" Sarisa says appearing with a large box. It wasn't cardboard, it was made of a hard material. "I got the cooking supplies."

"Alrighty." Joe says. He and Pablo load it into the back of the truck, then Sam and Pablo introduce themselves.

"Well now," They look to see a man with black hair streaked with gray, light blue eyes, a long sleeved green shirt with a brown short sleeved collared shirt over it, blue jeans, a brown belt, and hiking boots standing on the porch. "who's this bunch of fine looking young men?" He walks down the steps to the group, slightly limping.

"Pa, these are my friends, Joe Sam and Pablo." Sarisa tells him. "Guys, this is my Pa, John."

"Pleasure." Joe says shaking hands with him.

"Hola!" Pablo says with enthusiasm.

"Hi." Sam says.

"Sarisa's told me that you three have been keeping those triplets away from her." Mr. Eastward says. The boys nod. "I appreciate you three looking after my little girl."

"Pa." Sarisa says slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, you know you'll always be my little girl sweetheart." Mr. Eastward tells her. Sarisa smiles, and hugs him.

"I know Pa." She tells him. He hugs her back. Joe notice's that her Pa stood with his weight on his left foot.

"Well, you four have fun." Her Pa says as they separate. They all hear something, and look to see a small white car driving up to the house. It pulls up next to Sam's truck, and stops. A woman about twenty years old steps out from the driver's side. She looked like the spitting image of Mrs. Eastward, but her face had a flat, snobbish look to it, and her shirt was pink while her skirt was red.

"Hello Elizabeth!" Mrs. Eastward says.

"Hello Mother." She says. The two women hug. Elizabeth looks at the three boys.

"What are these boys doing here?" She asks raising an eyebrow.

"Elizabeth, these are my friends, Joe, Sam and Pablo." Sarisa tells her. "Guys, this is my older sister, Elizabeth."

"Howdy." Joe says. Elizabeth merely sighs.

"Sarisa, when are you going to have a friend that are the same gender as you?" She asks her.

"What's so wrong about them?" Sarisa asks with a bit of irritation.

"You're too much of a tomboy." Elizabeth says. "You need to start acting more feminine." Sarisa facepalms.

"You just let me who I am." She tells her.

"It's wrong for a girl to act like a boy." Elizabeth tells her with a glare. Sarisa glares back.

"It's wrong for you to tell me how to act."

"Sarisa, don't you dare-" Mr. Eastward cuts in.

"Elizabeth, leave her alone." He tells her sternly. "She's just fine the way she is." Elizabeth stands there for a second, then sighs.

"Yes Father." She says.

"Come on. I'll help you get your stuff." Mrs. Eastward tells Elizabeth. They go back over to Elizabeth's car.

"I'll go get my stuff." Sarisa says. She runs back into the house, and Mr. Eastward sighs.

"I'm sorry you three had to see that." He tells Joe, Sam and Pablo. "Elizabeth is a bit Amish like Carrie, so she's a bit..."

"Sexist?" Sam asks.

"Yes." Mr. Eastward says. "She had a problem with how we raised Sarisa."

"Sir?" Joe asks.

"You see," Mr. Eastward starts. "when we were about to have Sarisa, we thought she was going to be a boy. I was quite happy about it. I wanted a son to raise. When she was born, she turned out to be a girl, but I was still so over joyed to be the father of such a beautiful baby girl. As she grew, I asked Carrie if I could raise her like how we thought we would, and she agreed. So, I raised Sarisa. She was already showing signs she was a tomboy, but as I raised her, it strengthened. I helped her climb trees, taught her how to fish, and she helped me in the garden. She loved doing that." He chuckles. "She always brought in a bug she found to show Elizabeth. She grew, and her tomboyness didn't go away. She showed interest in Fossil Fighting, and Elizabeth said she couldn't take care of herself, so she didn't become one."

"So you basically raised Sarisa to be a tomboy." Sam says. Mr. Eastward nods.

"But, I'm glad she met you three." He tells them. "Back in the town we're from, the other kids found her weird."

"How so?" Joe asks.

"She's incredibly brilliant for one thing." Mr. Eastward tells them. "They thought that she had to be either smart or beautiful. She was both. They found her stranger since she was a tomboy." He sighs. "They stayed away from her basically. But Sarisa proved better than them. She stayed different that everyone else. She didn't care about fitting in. She just stayed who she was."

_'So... you guys are the first friends that Sarisa's ever had?' _Ptera asks.

"So... we're the first friends Sarisa's ever had?" Joe asks, repeating the question. Mr. Eastward nods.

"But don't get me wrong, everyone in the town loves her." He tells them. He chuckles again. "I don't think there's anyone that could hate her. They just loved seeing Sarisa. When she was little, all she had to do was smile and anyone in a bad mood would be happy."

"She sounds like a blessing." Sam says.

"She is." Mr. Eastward tells them. "I'm just so happy we got to have her as our daughter." He says smiling a warm, happy smile. He looks at Joe. "But I have a question for you."

"Yes sir?" Joe asks.

"What did you make on that test?" He asks. "Sarisa said she helped you study."

"A+!" Joe tells Mr. Eastward happily. He smiles.

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Okay!" They hear Sarisa say. They look to see her with a duffle bag and a guitar case. "I got it." Joe helps her put her guitar case into the back of the truck. Sarisa hugs her Pa. "Bye Pa."

"Good Bye sweetheart." He tells her hugging her. "Stay safe."

"Yes sir." Sarisa tells him. They separate. "Don't forget to take your medication." She runs into the house to tell her Ma good bye.

"Medication?" Pablo asks. Mr. Eastward looks at them, then taps his right leg.

"I have a bit of Polio." He tells them. "I usually have to walk with a cane, but I felt strong enough today." Sarisa comes back out of the house, carrying a black cane.

"Pa." She tells him holding out to him. "You know what the doctor said." He sighs.

"Alright." He takes it in his right hand. "I have two doctors, the one I go to and this one right here." Sarisa smiles.

"Don't forget to use it." She tells him. He nods, then looks at the three boys.

"Keep her safe." He tells them. They nod, and start to get in the truck when Sarisa stops.

"Oh man, I just remembered something!" She says before running back into the house. She comes back out a minute later hugging her tan archaeologists back pack, anger on her face. They look at her with confusion as she hurriedly walks over to the truck. "Let's go." She says with irritation as she climbs in the back seat. They all look at each other, tell Mr. Eastward good bye, then get in the truck with Sam driving, Pablo in the passenger seat, and Joe in the back seat with Sarisa.

They ride in silence for thirty minutes before Pablo tries to start up a conversation.

"So, do you like camping Sarisa?" He asks. Sarisa just sits there, anger on her face and hugging her backpack.

They ride in silence for ten minutes.

"Ya alright Sarisa?" Joe asks. She sits there for a second, then sighs.

"...I went to get my back pack, and when I went into my room, there was Elizabeth, reading my journal." She tells him. They all sit in silence.

"...Well, that's a good reason to be mad." Pablo says.

"Readin' someone's journal is just downright rude." Joe says. "Your sister don't deserve to be related to ya." Sarisa looks at him, and he quickly looks out his window as a blush spreads across his face.

Five minutes later...

"Here it is!" Sam says pulling into a clearing. They were in the forest on a mountain. The clearing was nice and big, had some trails branching off of it, and there was a fire pit with fallen logs around it to sit on.

"This is a nice spot Joe." Sarisa says stepping out of the truck.

"Yep." Joe tells her. "I'll show ya the best part about this place later, though. We need to unpack the stuff first."

"All right." Sarisa says. Pablo gets into the back of the truck, and hands things to Sam and Joe while Sarisa organizes them.

A minute later...

"Okay, let's set up!" Pablo says picking up one of the tents.

"What about firewood?" Sarisa asks. The three boys look at her.

"What?" Joe asks.

"There's no firewood." She tells them.

"Who didn't bring the firewood?" Pablo asks.

"You didn't." Sam tells him.

"What?"

"It was your turn."

"...It was?"

"Yes. Wasn't it on your list?"

"No."

"Let me see your list." Sam tells him holding his hand out. Pablo takes a piece of paper out of his pocket, and hands it to Sam, who takes it and looks at it. "..." He take's Pablo's sombrero, whacks him upside the head with it, then puts it back on his head. "Your thumb was over it."

"..." Pablo looks at the list, then smiles awkwardly. "OH...there it is..."

"I'll go get some." Sarisa says.

"I'll go with ya." Joe says.

"Don't worry. I can do it." She tells him. She smiles, then runs down one of the trails into the forest. Joe stands there, watching the spot where she disappeared with unease.

"Don't worry." Sam tells Joe putting a hand on his shoulder. "The only dangerous things here are snakes." Joe stands there for a second.

"...Alright..." He sighs. "Let's set up." He helps Pablo starts setting up a tent while Sam organizes the food in the back of the truck.

A few minutes later...

"Okay, let's do the next tent." Pablo says as he and Joe finish the first one. Joe reaches for another tent when they hear a scream.

"SARISA!" Joe yells. She suddenly crashes into the clearing. The boys run towards her, but she runs straight past Sam and Pablo, and right into Joe's out stretched arms. She stands there, terrified with a pale face, wide eyes, and panting while her head was tucked under Joe's chin. "What's wrong?"

"A...A... A b..." Sarisa pants.

"A what?"

"A-" A big black bear crashes into the clearing. "BEAR!" Sarisa yells.

"COME ON!" Pablo yells. He jumps into the back of the truck, Sam runs over to the truck with Joe and Sarisa, and Joe gets Sarisa into the truck. Pablo hands him a hunting rifle, which he quickly takes, aims at the bear and fires. The bullet grazes the bear's side, only angering it. It roars at them, and they continue shooting at it. It charges at Joe, and claws him across the chest, sending him flying backwards three feet onto his back. It jumps on him, and he holds his gun in both hands, and jams it into the bear's mouth to keep it from getting any closer, and Pablo jumps in the air from the back of the truck, hitting the bear with the end of his rifle. Sam hits it with his gun, and the bear spins around, hitting them with its paw, knocking them to the ground. Joe jumps up, aims his rifle back at the bear, and it suddenly spins back around and hits the gun out of his hands and knocking him down in the process. It raises its paw to hit him, claws out, and Joe covers his face with his arms and looks away.

A gunshot rings out, followed by a THUD.

Joe slowly lowers his arms to see the bear on its side, blood coming out of its ear. He looks at Sam and Pablo to see them on their feet, but their guns weren't in the right position to shoot it. They all look at the truck to see Sarisa standing next to it, a rifle in her shaking hands. She looks at the gun, drops it, covers her mouth with her hands and takes a step back.

"...Sarisa...?" Joe asks standing up. She looks at him, tears brimming her eyes, then runs straight to him and hugs him. He hugs her, and she buries her face in the crook of her neck. They all stand there in silence. Joe stands there, holding Sarisa in his arms, gently rocking her back and forth, while her hands were small fists against his chest. "...What's wrong?" He whispers.

"...I...I shot it..." She tells him.

"So?" Pablo asks. "You saved Joe."

"But I SHOT it." She says. "With a gun..." She lifts her head up, and looks over at the rifle she used, then puts her head on Joe's shoulder.

"It's alright Sarisa." Joe tells her. His voice was soft and gentle. "It was defence. It was either him or us, and you did the right thing." She stands there, and tucks her head under his chin. They stand in silence for a minute.

"...We should keep setting up." Sarisa says. Joe silently nods.

"I'll get the firewood." Pablo says.

"I'll come with you." Sam tells him. "Only one bear every few years wonders over to this side of the mountain, but to be on the safe side." Sam and Pablo walk off, Sam carrying his rifle. Joe and Sarisa stand there for a second.

"I'll help you finish setting up the tents." Sarisa says. Joe nods, but doesn't want to let her out of his arms. They slowly separate, and continue setting up the tents. They pitch all the tents, organize the food in the back of the truck, and put a grilling rack over the fire pit. Joe looks at Sarisa to see her sitting on one of the logs, hugging herself. He had just changed his vest, which had been torn during the bear attack. His gun had keep the claws from getting to his skin, and he was thankful for that.

"Hey..." Joe says. Sarisa looks at him. "Come on. I'll show you the best part about this spot." She sits there a second, then follows him down on of the trails. They come to the end, and Joe pushes a bush aside.

"Wow..." Sarisa sighs with awe. They were at the top of a cliff, overlooking a wide expanse of the forest, with a water fall that beautifully cascaded downwards.

"Real nice view, ain't it?" Joe asks. Sarisa just nods, a look of awe on her face. She goes over to a rock, and sits down on it, looking at the view. Joe goes over, and sits down next to her on the rock. He sat there, looking at her face.

_Her beautiful...angelic...face. _He thinks.

"It's beautiful..." Sarisa says.

"Yeah..." Joe says quietly. "ya are..." Sarisa get a 'wait, what?' look on her face, and looks at Joe, who just sits there, faintly smiling.

"What?" She asks. Joe realizes what he just said, and quickly looks at the overlook, a blush spreading across his face.

"It is..." He says.

_'Smooth.' _Ptera tells him. _'REAL smooth...'_

_ 'Yer not helpin'.' _Joe tells him. He feels Sarisa hug his arm, and looks to see her rest her head on his shoulder. His face grows hot, and the feeling grips him. He wraps his arm around her, and pulls her close. She curls up against him, and he wraps his other arm around her. He looks at her, to see her eyes are closed, a faint smile on her face, and her hands as small fists against his chest. He rests his head on top of hers, and looks at the water fall. They sit there for a bit, then hear Sam call their names. They silently walk back, to find Sam and Pablo had gotten plenty of fire wood.

That night...

Joe sat on the ground in front of one of the logs in front of the fire pit, which had a warm, roaring fire in it. He sat with one leg stretched out, the other propped up, and leaning back against the log, and Sarisa right next to him, without an inch of space between them. Sam and Pablo sat leaning back against the other two logs, Sam with his arms folded behind his head, his legs stretched out, and his hat covering his eyes, while Pablo looked up at the night sky, his elbows on the log behind him.

They had grilled some beef franks, which was with same thing as hot dogs but didn't have nitrate in them, and had just sat around the campfire, enjoying them. Sam and Pablo said that there had been claw makings that looked to be made by bear claws on the trees while they were getting firewood, and they were unsure if it was the same bear as the one that they had killed, and the news had put Sarisa on the edge. Joe sat with his arm around her to keep her feeling safe, while she sat curled up against him with her head on his shoulder, and hugging her knees.

The only sounds they heard were frogs croaking, crickets chirping, the fire crackling, the trees rustling as the wind blew, and owls hooting.

But nonetheless, Joe was still incredibly nervous, especially with Sarisa so close to him.

He sits there, staring into the fire, warm and comfortable. His eyes look at Sarisa, and she had a bit of a frightened expression on her face. He looks back at the fire when Pablo looks at him. Pablo sits there a second, then looks back up at the sky. An owl suddenly lets out its hunting screech, causing Sarisa to suddenly hug Joe tightly, making him blush. He gently hugs her back, and looks to see the owl perched on a branch. It takes off, and flies away into the night.

"Don't worry." Joe tells her, his voice soft and quiet. "It's just an owl. It won't hurt ya." She sits there for a second, and looses the hug some. Joe looks back at the fire as she rests her head back on his shoulder.

"Let's tell ghost stories." Sam suddenly suggests, pushing his hat back onto his head. Joe looks at him flatly.

"Sam, I'm sorry, but that's a terrible idea." Joe tells him. "We're all ready on the edge, and we don't need some story to-"

"**RARGH!**" Pablo suddenly yells, jumping out from behind the log Joe and Sarisa are sitting against. Sarisa screams and hugs Joe even tighter. Joe quickly hugs her back, and looks at Pablo to see him laughing. Joe gives him a glare that he only uses when he's extremely mad at a person, and Pablo begins to stop laughing as he realizes that Joe is glaring at him. He stands there, an uneasy and sad look on his face.

"That ain't funny." Joe tells him in tone that he never uses except for when he's serious and very angry. "Ya know better than that." Pablo gets a downcast look, and drags himself over to his tent to go to bed. Joe watches him with his glare, then looks back at Sarisa to see she's hugging him tightly with her face buried against his chest. He sits there, gently hugging her with one arm and the other one with his hand on the back of her head. She sits there for a bit, then rests her head on his shoulder, and Sam goes to his tent for the night.

"..." Joe tucks his chin against the top of Sarisa's head, and is able to smell her hair. She smelled faintly of freshly made, warm apple cider that his Ma made. He kisses her on the top of her head. "Don't worry." He quietly whispers, his voice soft and gentle. "I'm not gonna let anythin' hurt ya."

"..." She sits there for a second, then looks up at him with her emerald eyes, which reflected the fire light and stars so beautifully, it made Joe blush. She smiles a small smile, then tucks her head under his chin. "Thank you..." She whispers. "I feel a lot safer now..." Joe fells his blush deepen, and he hugs her a little tighter, gently rocking her back and forth. A few minutes later, he looks back at her to see her fast asleep with her head on the joining point of his arm and torso. He smiles a small smile.

_She looks so peaceful... _He thinks. She sits there fast asleep, a faint smile on her face, small tear drops at the corner of her eyes, and curled up against him. He didn't want to move her. He just wanted to stay there, holding her in his arms as she slept so peacefully. He carefully picks her up, her head against his shoulder, and carries her over to her tent, and carefully lays her down on her sleeping bag inside of it, which was on top of an air mattress. He takes her red baseball cap of her head, and lays it down next to the bed. She lays there on her side, her hands under her head, and her knees bent. She looked so warm and comfortable in her red jacket, despite the fact that it was actually baggy on her.

_Good night Sarisa. _Joe thinks. _Sweet dreams. _He silently exits the tent, closes the front behind him, and banks the fire. He then goes into his tent and changes into his pajamas, a sleeveless, light gray shirt and long, plaid, light blue pants. He gets into his sleeping bag, and drifting to a deep slumber, thinking of the sweet smell Sarisa's hair had.

* * *

**AN-JoeXSarisa moment! Yes, her hair smells faintly of apple cider. It actually smells very good. LEAVES REVIEWS! And tell me what you think of my pairing of Joe and Sarisa.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven-Camping Craziness

The next morning...

Joe exits his tent, dressed and ready to have breakfast. He looks at the fire pit to see Sam and Pablo sitting there, eating some pancakes.

"Mornin' y'all." Joe tells them with a smile as he sits down on one of the logs. He picks up a plate of pancakes. "Y'all sleep good?" He starts eating the pancakes, and looks up when Sam and Pablo don't answer him, to see them sitting there, looking at him with wide smiles. "...What?" Joe asks. They sit there and keep smiling, and Joe looks behind him to see only the truck and the woods, then back at Sam and Pablo.

"..." They say nothing.

"What?" Joe asks. He looks behind himself again, then back at them. "There somethin' on my face?"

"Nope." Pablo tells him, shaking his head.

"...Then what y'all lookin' at me for?" Joe asks, confused.

"We just happen to be looking out our tents last night." Sam tells Joe. Joe's face turns a light shade of red and his eye widen.

"Y'all were SPYIN'?!" Joe asks them, embarrassed.

"No, we just happened to be watching you and Sarisa sitting next to the campfire." Sam tells him.

"But still! That's just-! That's just downright rude!" Joe says, his blush deepening.

"So?" Pablo asks. "All you did was sit there with your arm around her and tell her you weren't going to let anything hurt her."

"But still!" Joe tells them.

"Then of course you kissed her on the top of her head." Sam adds on. Joe gets an embarrassed look on his face.

"Y'all weren't s'pose to see that..." He tells them.

"I bet you wished you had kissed her-"

"DID NOT!" Joe tells Sam, cutting him off, his face turn a deep shade of red. "I mean-! They can mean other stuff, right?!" Joe asks, shrugging helplessly.

"...I don't know." Pablo says, shrugging.

"Actually, they can represent love, passion, affection, respect, greeting, friendship and good luck, and other stuff, but now days it mostly means showing love and affection." Sam says. "You give it away that you love her Joe, because whenever she gets near you, your lower jaw trembles with excitement which what all males do when they see whomever they're in love with, so I don't really blame you. But, I'm pretty sure that after you kissed her, your brain released dopamine, which is a chemical your brain produces when you're doing something highly pleasurable, though I'm very sure that you would want to have kissed her on the lips."

"..." Joe and Pablo sit there for a second.

"Though, I do wonder what your reaction would be. Probably something like in the story of Daphnis and Chloe..." Sam clears his throat. "As Daphnis quoted: 'Ye gods, what are my feelings. Her lips are softer than a rose's leaf, her mouth is sweet as honey, and her kiss inflicts on me more pain than a bee's sting. I have often kissed my kids, I have often kissed my lambs, but never have I known aught like this. My pulse is beating fast, my heart throbs, it is as if I were about to suffocate, yet, nevertheless, I want to have another kiss. Strange, never-suspected pain! Has Chloe, I wonder, drunk some poisonous draught ere she kissed me? How come that she herself has not died of it?'."

"...How do you know this exactly?" Pablo asks.

"..." Sam says nothing for a second. "...When I'm bored, I will sometimes look up something completely random and read about it." He says, taking a bite of his pancakes.

"..." Joe sits there. "That...I..."

"That is true and you do wish to kiss her lips?" Pablo asks.

"No!" Joe quickly tells them. "That...That ain't true and I don't wanna...k...k...k...press my lips against hers!"

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Sam asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh...Because..." Joe panics.

_'I can help!' _Ptera tells him.

_'Yeah right.' _Joe tells him. _'Yer just gonna say somethin' that'll make 'em sure that I wanted to kiss her lips...Which I did not!'_

_ 'Joe, you're literally my wingman!' _Ptera tells him. _'I'll help anyway I can!'_

_ '...Fine...' _Joe sighs, pulling out Ptera's medal. Ptera comes out, shrunken down to the size of a parrot, and perches on Joe's shoulder.

"What do you have to say in Joe's defence, Ptera?" Pablo asks.

_"Well..." _Ptera says, projecting his thoughts to where they can all hear him. _"What I have to say is this: If he was in love with her anymore, I would kiss her myself!"_

"PTERA!" Joe exclaims as Pablo falls off the log he was sitting on laughing, while Sam bursts out laughing.

_"What?" _Ptera asks. _"You know I'm right!"_

"That tears it!" Joe says. Ptera takes off into the air, and Joe begins to chase him around the clearing, trying to catch him. Sarisa comes out of her tent, dressed and fully rested. Ptera lands on her shoulder, and Joe quickly skids to a stop in front of her. "Uh...H-howdy."

"Mornin' Joe." Sarisa tells him with a smile that made his insides melt.

"Uh...M-mornin'..." He tells her. Ptera sits there, perched on her shoulder, a smuggish look on his face. _'Go back in yer medal.'_

_ 'No.' _Ptera tells him.

_'Why?'_

_ 'I don't wanna.'_

_ 'Too bad. Go into it.'_

_ 'NU!'_

_ '...'_

_ '...FINE...' _Ptera goes into his medal, which Joe catches, and puts back into his coat pocket. He and Sarisa sit down and eat breakfast with Sam and Pablo.

"Why don't we go on a hike?" Pablo suggests. They all agree, and put some gear into their packs, and head down one of the trails. Pablo eagerly lead the group, with Sam thoughtfully observing their surroundings, Sarisa half walking have skipping down the trail, enjoying the outdoors, and Joe watching her. He found himself extraordinarily happy to see her happy.

They hike up a trail near the water fall, and stop to rest at the top. They continue on afterwards, and stop in a clearing to enjoy the sight. It was a very nice clearing, actually. It looked like something straight out of a story book, with toadstools growing on some hallow tree stumps, clusters of brightly colored flowers, the light tinted green from it shining through the leaves, the morning drops of dew reflecting the light, and butterflies fluttering around from flower to flower.

Joe sits down on a log, rolling his shoulders from carrying his pack for so long. Sam sits down next to him, and Pablo sits down on the ground, then leans back against the log. Sarisa looks at the flowers, and holds one of the butterflies. Joe sits there watching, a light blush on his face. He hears something, and looks over his shoulder. He silently gets up, and walks out of the clearing. Sam and Pablo notice, and silently follow him. They crouch down as they get closer to the noise, and hide in some bushes. They part the leaves some to look out. There, in the middle of a clearing, was a bunch of gear used to take pictures, and male models in camping and outdoor clothes.

_'...' _Joe and Ptera say nothing. A stout man suddenly appears, distraught.

"The photo is missing something!" He yells to the sky, his voice frustrated and scratchy.

"Did...we do something?" One of the male models asks.

"No!" The man says, looking at them. "You guys are good! Great! PERFECT even!" He grabs his head with frustration. "The photo shoot is just MISSING something!" He starts pacing back and forth furiously.

"..." The three boys say nothing.

_'What...in tarnation...am I lookin' at?' _Joe asks.

_'I dun't kno.' _Ptera tells him. The man continues pacing, while the men just stand there, watching him.

"GIRL!" One of the men suddenly exclaims. They all suddenly look, and rush towards the same point, all excitedly chattering. Joe, Sam and Pablo all look at each other with confusion, then look back to see the men all standing around one person, trying to get their attention, while one has their arm wrapped around them.

Sarisa.

Joe's eyes suddenly widen, he scowls baring his teeth, and anger immediately fills him. He suddenly bursts from the bush, runs straight at the man with his arm around Sarisa, and punches him in the chest, making him fall down. He wraps his arms around Sarisa, and pulls her away from the other men, while her hands are curled into small fists against his chest, and she holds herself against him, slightly scared.

"Stay away from her." Joe growls, glaring at the men. Sam and Pablo come out, and walk over.

"Whoa." One of the men says, holding his hands up in a 'calm down' motion. "There was no need to do THAT."

"I had a reason." Joe tells him. "An' that's good enough for me." The men all look at Sarisa, who buries her face against Joe's chest. "Now, we're outta-"

"SHE'S PERFECT!" The stout man suddenly exclaims. Everyone looks at him.

"...Say what?" Pablo asks, confused.

"She's perfect!" The stout man says again. "She's angel! Just what we need!"

"Wh-what...?" Sarisa asks, slight worry in her voice.

"You're perfect!" He tells her again. "Your completion, your hair, your eyes, your figure, and just...! You! You're just perfect!" Sarisa gets a scared look, and Joe hugs her a bit tighter. "Sure, your chest is as flat as a cutting board, but we can just use some padding to-" Joe suddenly punches the stout man in the face, making him fall back on the ground.

"NO." Joe says sternly. Sarisa buries her face in the crook of his neck, and the stout man sits up, to show that his nose is broken. Joe turns himself and Sarisa away from them. "Let's go." He says. He walks with his hands on Sarisa's shoulders, and her close to him, walking back towards the clearing they had been in, with Sam and Pablo following. They get back to the clearing, get their packs, pull them on, and start to head back. After a few minutes, Joe suddenly takes Sarisa's hand, much to her surprise. Joe just keeps looking straight forward, and blushes as Sarisa hugs his arm.

Thirty minutes later...

They arrive back at the camp site, and put away their packs, then sit around the fire pit in silence. Joe sits there, his arms around Sarisa, and she sits there, curled up against him. Sam and Pablo head down to the river to go swimming, and Joe stays at the site with Sarisa. They sit in silence, Joe holding Sarisa in his arms, the sweet smell of cider coming from her.

"..." Joe pulls her a bit closer, and she rests her head on his chest, able to hear his heart beating. Joe feels his face grow hot, and the feeling fills him, bringing a wonderful, fuzzy warmth with it. She looks up at him, and he feels his heart swell, and it jumps into his throat. He felt like he was about to suffocate, and nervousness ebbs into him. One of Sarisa's hands runs up to his shoulder, and the other runs up his neck, and onto his jaw. Joe's heart pounds like a jack hammer, and he pulls Sarisa closer, one arm around her, and the other with his hand on the back of her head. Sarisa's head moves closer, and Joe feels something tug at his heart, unsure of what it was. He submits, and finds himself moving his head closer to Sarisa's.

He oddly felt weak. He felt the feeling inside him grow increasingly stronger, and it almost felt as if his heart was begging to be next to Sarisa's, the way it felt like it was being pulled at. His eyes were half lidded, and they were almost fluttering. His eyes completely close, and he slightly tilts his head to the side...

He then suddenly falls off the log onto the ground.

_Why in-? _He pushes himself up, and fixes his hat. _'Why in tarnation did I do that?!'_

_ 'Because you almost fainted.' _Ptera tells him flatly.

_'...I did?' _Joe asks.

_'Yup.'_

_ '...'_

"Joe?" He quickly looks up to see Sarisa still sitting on the log, looking at him with a deep blush on her face. "Are you okay?"

"Uhhh..." Joe feels his shoulders hunch nervously, and his face grow warmer. He quickly looks away. "Y-yeah! I...just...uh..." He sits there, slightly panicking. He notices the stack of fire wood was low. "I-I'm gonna get some more firewood." He tells her, quickly getting up and hurrying out of the clearing, his hands in his coat pockets and his head down. He rushes down one of the paths, and comes to a small clearing. He sits down on a rock, and hangs his head. _'What was that all about...?'_

_ 'What do you mean?' _Ptera asks, confused.

_'I mean...I just...I...I don't know! Somethin' in me just...Whoa...' _

_ 'Ah, young love.'_

_ 'Yer not helpin'.'_

_ 'Do I ever?'_

_ '...Nope.'_

_ 'Ugh. Well, I think I can help.'_

_ 'HOW?'_

_ 'You just need someone to talk to!'_

_ '...I guess...'_

_ 'Now, what's the problem?'_

_ 'You know what the problem is! I'm...I'm...in...I'M IN __**LOVE**__ WITH SARISA! LOVE! I never thought this would happen! But she's just...so...smart...sweet...caring...an'...she just ain't like other girls, ya know? She don't wear makeup or all that girly stuff, she don't care what others think'a 'er, an' she's just...I've never met another girl like 'er...Well, I haven't met a lotta girls, but...She's different...I get nervous 'round her, and I feel like my heart is beatin' like a drum and jumps in ta' my throat...An'...That...feeling...' _He shoulders slowly slump and his face turns a deep shade of red as he thinks this.

_'Wow...You're over your head, eh?' _Ptera asks. _'Well, then again, your entire world is drowning.'_

_ 'I know! But...' _Joe sighs. _'I don't know what to do...'_

_ 'Hmmmm...' _Ptera comes out of his medal, shrinks down, and perches on Joe's shoulder. _'Let's see...Ah!' _He flies off, picks up a long stick, and grows back to his real size. He goes back over to Joe, who looks up at him. _'See this stick?'_

"Yeah." Joe tells him. "What about it?"

_'This stick is your world before Sarisa came along.' _Ptera tells him. _'You weren't into girls, you were always thinking about Fossil Fighting, having fun, going on adventures, or spending time with Sam and Pablo. Then, this is what happened when you met Sarisa.' _Ptera breaks the stick in two with his beak, then breaks into more smaller pieces. _'Your world view basically shattered.'_

_ 'That's true.' _Joe tells him. _'But how does this help me?'_

_ 'Well,' _Ptera tells him. _'all you need to do, is adjust, compromise, and embrace it.' _Ptera tells him rearranging the small pieces of wood. _'Then, it'll all just click one day, and you'll have a beautiful new world.' _He finishes rearranging them, shrinks down, and perches on Joe's shoulder. Joe looks at the bits of wood, to see Ptera had arranged them into heart.

_'...Ptera?' _Joe asks.

_'Yes?' _Ptera asks.

_'The three years I've had ya, this is the most helpful this ya have done.' _

_ '...HEY!'_

_ 'Hey, ya know it's true.' _Joe tells him, chuckling. He gets some wood, then heads back to the site.

That night...

"CAN WE, CAN WE, CAN WE?!" Pablo asks, bouncing up and down on the loge he sat on. They sat around the camp fire, Sam on and other log while Joe and Sarisa sat on another.

"Pablo, calm down, will ya?" Joe asks him.

"PLEEEEEEEEAAAAAASE?! We didn't get to yesterday night!" Pablo says. Joe shakes his head, the goes over to the truck. He gets his fiddle and Sarisa's guitar, and goes back over to the fire. He hands Sarisa's guitar to her, and she takes it.

"Any requests?" Sarisa asks.

"Joe knows." Sam says.

"Alright." Joe says. He gets his fiddle under his chin, and starts playing. Sarisa soon joins in, and Sam starts to sing.

"Song, song of the south.

Sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth.

Gone, gone with the wind!

There ain't nobody looking back again.

Cotton on the roadside, cotton in the ditch.

We all picked the cotton but we never got rich.

Daddy was a veteran, a southern democrat.

They oughtta get a rich man to vote like that.

Sing it..."

Pablo chimes in.

"Song, song of the south.

Sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth.

Gone, gone with the wind!

There ain't nobody looking back again.

Well somebody told us Wall Street fell,

But we were so poor that we couldn't tell.

Cotton was short and the weeds were tall,

But Mr. Roosevelt's a gonna save us all...

Well momma got sick and daddy got down.

The county got the farm and they moved to town.

Pappa got a job with the TVA,

He bought a washing machine and then a Chevrolet.

Sing it...

Song, song of the south.

Sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth.

Gone, gone with the wind!

There ain't nobody looking back again.

Play it..."

Sam and Pablo hop up, hook arms, and start square dancing while Joe taps his foot, and Saris smiles.

"Sing it...

Song, song of the south.

Sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth.

Gone, gone with the wind!

There ain't nobody looking back again.

Song, song of the south...

Gone, gone with the wind..."

They all whistle to the tune.

"Song, song of the south,

Sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth.

Song, song of the south.

Sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth.

Sing it...

Song, song of the south.

Sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth.

Gone, gone with the wind!

There ain't nobody looking back again.

Song, song of the south.

Sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth.

Gone, gone with the wind!

There ain't nobody looking back again!"

Joe puts the instruments away, they all have some root beer, then go to their tents for the night.

* * *

**AN-Strange ending. I know.**

**Ninja of Night:**** Yes. Thar was a bear.**

**Kenzie:**** Updates for this might be a bit since I have hit a motivation block, and I mainly work on my story, Red, the Kid of Adventure.**

**Guest:**** Cut him some slack, will ya? He panicked and his first thought was to get Sarisa to safety.**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN-Now...uh...well, no comment really.**

**Joe: Ya sure?**

**Me: GYAH! When did YOU get here?!**

**Joe: When I got here.**

**Me: *facepalm***

* * *

Chapter Eight-School Trip

"So how long is the drive?" Sarisa asks Joe. They were standing in front of the school on the side walk with Sam and Pablo, and with the other seniors, loading luggage onto a bus.

"Too long." Joe tells her. She giggles, making Joe smile and blush some.

"You excited about the trip?" Pablo asks Sarisa, putting his duffle bag on the bus.

"A weeklong trip to a collage where we're going to be studying biology?" Sarisa asks. "YES, I'm excited!" She tells him excitedly. They put their stuff away, and board the bus. They get to the middle, Sarisa sits in a seat next to the window, and Sam suddenly trips Joe, and Pablo pushes him into the seat next to Sarisa. He pulls his hat down some, while Sam and Pablo sit in the seats behind them, snickering. The rest of their classmates load up on the bus, which then starts up and starts heading towards their destination. The students chat amongst themselves, eager about the week, while Joe sits in silence, and Sarisa watches the passing landscape outside the window. Joe looks up at her some to see her watching the back of the seat in front of her, a half asleep look on her face. She yawns, and her eyes close as she falls asleep.

_'You think she looks cute!' _Ptera happily tells Joe.

_'I DO NO-...Wait, how...?' _

_'I stowed away in you duffle bag, and I know you think she looks cute.'_

_ '...Mr. Khem told me I wasn't s'pose to bring ya.'_

_ '...OH...'_

_ 'If I get in trouble because of ya, yer in trouble, got it?'_

_ 'Got it...'_

_ 'Good.'_

_ '...You think-'_

_ 'I DO NOT!'_

_ '...'_

_ '...I think she looks adorable.'_

_ 'Heh.'_ Ptera laughs as Joe's face grows warm from a blush. He suddenly feels something on his shoulder, and looks to see Sarisa's head rested on his shoulder. His blush deepens, and he timidly takes her hand. She faintly smiles, and puts her other hand on his chest as a small fist, making him blush an even deeper shade of red. Time goes by, and he soon drifts asleep, and dreams of her.

"Joe..." Someone whispers.

"...Hmmm...?" Joe cracks open his eyes to see the sun dipping below the horizon outside the bus window, and Sam and Pablo standing next to his seat.

"We thought you might wanna wake up." Sam tells him, a small smile on his face. He starts to sit up, then stops and looks to see Sarisa's head on his chest, and her arms under her head, while his arms were around her.

Joe's face turns the deepest shade of red.

Sam and Pablo snicker, making Joe shoot them a glare, making them get quiet. He then looks back at Sarisa, unsure of what to do. He gently shakes her.

"Sarisa..." He murmurs.

"Hmmmm..." She hums. She then cracks open an eye some, and looks up at him. He smiles awkwardly. She suddenly sits up.

"Sorry!" She exclaims, her face turning red. "I...uh..."

"It-It's alright." Joe tells her. "Ya...ya just fell asleep is all."

"Come on, we need to unload our stuff." Sam says. they get off the bus and retrieve their duffle bags, and get with the group. Joe spots the Robertson triplets nearby, slowly coming towards them. Joe then suddenly takes Sarisa's hand, and she looks at him with surprise. He quickly looks away, a blush spreading across his face.

"Attention!" A man says. The group of seniors all look at the same spot, which was a man in a suit standing next to Mr. Khem, a clip board in his hand. "Thank you. Now, we have some rules here, so please listen as I go over them." He goes over the rules, which was basically telling them that they were to not damage school property, start fights, that irresponsible and immature behavior would not be tolerated, and that lights out was at ten p.m. "One more thing," The man says. "no purple."

"..." The seniors all stand there, unsure of what he meant.

"What do you have against the color purple?" A senior asks, amazingly wearing a purple jacket. The man sighs.

"Boys are blue, girls are pink, and those colors together make purple." He explains. "It's not that we have anything against couples here, but, we find that it would be distracting to the students, and we don't appreciate distractions here." There are some angry protests among the seniors. Joe lets go of Sarisa's hand.

"Fer cryin' out loud y'all," Joe says loudly, getting everyone's attention. "it's JUST fer ONE. WEEK. Y'all can last that long."

"..." Everyone stands there, then turns back to the man in the suit. They pass out keys to the rooms where they would be staying, Sarisa having her own room while Joe, Sam and Pablo share a room. They then all go to the cafeteria for supper. They walk in, and see every kind of seating. Booths, bar stools, taller chairs and tables, everything. They get their trays, and sit in a corner booth at the far end of the room.

"This place ain't so bad." Joe says, scooping up some creamed potatoes.

"I could speak differently for the food." Pablo says. "These are too dry and bland."

"Mine ain't." Joe tells him with a smile. Pablo gives him a suspicious glare, then scoops up a spoon full of the potatoes on Joe's tray, and swallowing the scoop in one gulp.

"...THEY ARE BETTER..." Pablo says. Joe, Sam, and Sarisa laugh at his wide-eyed reaction.

"Just mix some water and salt in with them, and they'll taste better." Sam tells Pablo, taking a bite out of his sandwich. Pablo quickly does it, then devours his potatoes. He then get up, and hurries back to the line.

"Where are you going?!" Sarisa calls.

"To get more potatoes!" Pablo tells her before running off.

"...What is with him and potatoes?" Sam asks.

"No idea." Joe tells him. They finish eating, put their trays away, then head to their dorms for the night. Joe, Sam, and Pablo come to theirs, and go in. There was three beds, a desk with a computer, a mini fridge and microwave, and a window. They put their stuff away, and change into their pajamas, which for Sam was a white sleeve less shirt and his light gray boxers, and for Pablo, was black, long-legged pajama bottoms. They all go to bed, tired from the long ride.

Joe wakes up the next morning, and gets dressed, then heads to the cafeteria for breakfast. He gets his tray, and heads for the corner booth to see Sarisa already there, bright eyed and ready for the day.

He also sees some not-so-welcome people.

The Robertson Triplets sit there, trying to start a conversation with her. Two of them, Hawk and Shay had their arms around her, while she sat slumped in her seat, a bit of fear on her face. The sight made Joe tighten his grip on his tray, and quicken his pace. He then slams his tray down on the table, causing them to all look up at him. He looks at the triplets, his face hard with anger.

"Sorry, but three other people are already assigned to this table, and they're all boys, so you three boys ain't allowed here." He tells the triplets. "So get lost." They sit there, looking back at Joe with hard face. Joe cracks his knuckles against the table. "Y'all wanna take that outside?"

The triplets hurry away.

Joe smiles as he watches them hurry away, and sits down next to Sarisa. "Ya-" She suddenly hugs him, cutting him off and making his face turn red.

"Thank you..." She whispers, her head tucked against his chest.

"..." Joe sits there a second, unsure of what to do.

_'Problem?'_ Ptera asks.

_'I...don't...I DUNNO WHAT TO DO!' _Joe tells him. _'I mean I-! Just-! WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE CONFUSING FOR ME?!'_

_ 'Because you have no experience with love.' _Ptera tells him flatly. _'Just follow your instincts.'_

"..." Joe hugs Sarisa back, making his face grow warmer. "I...I...I just...I just want ya to be safe..." Sarisa's face turns a deeper shade of red.

"I am..." She tells him, closing her eyes, and pressing her head against Joe's chest. Joe's face turn a bit redder. He feels his heart swell, and a fuzzy warmth ebb into him.

"Ahem." They both quickly look up to see Sam and Pablo standing there, trays in hand. "We're not interrupting anything, right?" Sam asks, cocking an eyebrow.

"NO!" Joe and Sarisa say, quickly jumping back from each other. They then eat their breakfast, Joe constantly looking up at Sarisa. She sits there, then slowly looks at him. Their eyes meet for a second, and Joe quickly looks back at his food, and quickly resumes eating.

One hour later...

Joe closes his note book, finishing up some notes. He and his class were in the campus greenhouse, studying some of the insects. He had been watching a Rhinoceros Beetle. He looks over at Sarisa, who's watching a Monarch butterfly. She looks up at it from her notebook, then writes something down before closing it.

Joe goes over and gets down on his knees next her, looking at the monarch as well. Sarisa extends her pencil to it, and it crawls onto the pencil. Sarisa then holds it up to show Joe, and he smiles. The monarch then flutters its wings, taking off from the pencil, and lands right on Joe's nose.

_What...?! _Joe blinks with surprise, and Sarisa covers her mouth with her hands as she bursts out laughing. Her laugh made Joe smile some, and he holds his hand up to his nose, letting the butterfly crawl onto it. He then puts the monarch onto the bill of Sarisa's baseball hat. She looks at it, Joe laughs, and Sarisa puts her hands over her mouth, laughing. The bell rings, and they exit the green house, onto the campus. Joe carries his books under his arm, while Sarisa walks along side him, hugging her books against her. They both walk in silence, but Joe was still just as happy, with her walking next to him, a smile on her face.

"Uh...Sarisa?" Joe asks as something pops into his mind. Sarisa looks at him, her sweet smile on her face, that made his grow warm.

"Yeah Joe?" She asks.

"Uh...well...I was just wonderin' why ya always cover yer mouth when ya laugh..." Joe tells her.

"Oh...well...I'm trying not to laugh out loud." She tells him.

"Why not?"

"Well, one, I really don't like my laugh, and second, I'm worried I'll laugh too loud."

"..." Joe looks at her, slightly surprised. "Ya...don't...like yer laugh?"

"That's right."

"...Why?"

"I...I don't know...I just...don't..." She looks up at Joe. "But I wish I had a laugh like yours. It's wonderful to listen to."

"..." Joe feels his face grow hot. "Uh...w-well...if...um...I...I-I really...l...like...yer laugh..." Joe mumbles, fumbling with the words and looking away after they slip from his mouth, his face growing warm and as Sarisa looks at him.

"Thanks..." Joe looks at her some, to see her sweet smile on her face, making his insides melt, and her blush a bit deeper, making his turn deeper. He smiles a small, shy smile, and they keep walking in silence for a bit. "Hey...Joe?"

"Uh...y-yeah...?" Joe asks, looking at Sarisa.

"Uh...you...You don't..." She takes a deep breath. "You don't think I'm...I'm a loser...right?" Joe immediately stops, making Sarisa stop.

"What in tarnation would make ya think I'd think that?!" He asks, slightly shocked and worried.

"Well...I..." Sarisa looks at her feet. "It...It's nothing...Don't...worry...abou-" Joe suddenly hugs her, making her let in a small, quick breath of air. It was a sweet, tender and loving hug, which made Joe's face turn deep red.

"Ya ain't a loser, okay?" Joe tells her. "A person have ta be so low they'd live in the earth's core to say somethin' like that about ya...An'...You're my friend an' I..." He takes a shaky breath. "I really care about ya."

"..." Sarisa says nothing, but instead hugs Joe back, her face in the crook of his neck. "Thank you..."

"..." Joe closes his eyes, and hugs her a bit tighter, one arm around her and the other with his hand on the back of her head. It felt so good to just stand there, holding her in his arms, her head in the crook of his neck. The warm, fuzzy feeling ebbs into him, making his heart swell and jump into his throat.

The bell suddenly rings.

"GYAH! We're gonna be late!" Sarisa says, her head popping up.

"Then let's high-tail it over there!" Joe says, both of them running to get to their next class. But, Joe wished the bell hadn't of rung. That he and Sarisa had been alone, someplace far away...and that he was still holding her.

One hour later...

_'Whew...' _Joe sighs with relief, walking down a hallway. _'Got there just in time.'_

_ 'Yup.' _Ptera says from his spot in the inside pocket of Joe's coat. _'So...We're Sam, Pablo and your girlfriend?'_

_ 'SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!' _Joe yells at Ptera. _No matter how much I want 'er to be. _He thinks to himself.

_'Alright, alright, sheesh...' _Ptera says, making that 'calm down' motion.

_'...I'm meeting up with them outside the cafeteria.'_ Joe tells Ptera.

_'Alrighty.' _Ptera says.

"She's cute..." Joe looks up to see two boys, students that came to the collage, talking to each other, but not looking at each other. One had neat blond hair, and the other had brown hair. Joe looks past them, to see Sarisa standing there next to the lunchroom doors, her hands clasped in front of her and happily smiling.

"Yeah..." The blonde one says. "But she don't look too bright."

"You idiot. Dumb girls are the best!" The brown haired one tells the blonde. "They don't put up any resistance. They're easily persuaded."

"Yeah..." The blonde says. "I get it. It gets annoying when they put up a fight."

"Yup." The brunette looks back at Sarisa. "I bet she'd buy anything...Should I go try?"

That was all Joe had to hear.

As he walks by, he hits his arm against the blonde's head, making him slam into his friend, making them smash into the lockers.

"Oh." Joe stops, not looking at the two boys. "I'm sorry 'bout that." He looks over his shoulder at them, to see them rubbing their heads, and their faces pale from the expression on Joe's face. "My arm's been actin' up ever since I got in a fight the other day. Th' poor guys too...Doctors said they'd be in intensive care fer awhile..." The two boy's faces turn white, and they jump off, and hurry away. Joe smiles, then turns and walks back towards the lunch room, and up to Sarisa.

"What was that noise?" She asks him, slight confusion on her face. "I heard a slamming noise..."

"Don't worry 'bout it." Joe tells her, smiling. "It's nothin' to worry 'bout."

"Okay!" Sarisa says, happily smiling. Joe smiles, and they walk into the lunch room, to see Sam and Pablo already at the table the usually sat at. They get their trays, and head over to th table, enjoying their meal and chatting.

Afterwards...

_'YES! Classes are over fer today!' _Joe thinks, closing his book.

_'FINALLY...' _Ptera groans.

_'What're you complain' 'bout?' _Joe asks, walking out of the class room. _'Ya slept the entire time.'_

_ 'So?' _Ptera asks. _'That doesn't mean that it'll get old after a bit.'_

_ 'Good point.' _Joe walks down the hallway, and eventually it empties of everyone else, leaving him alone as he walks towards his dorm to drop off his books. He notices two cheer leaders from his school, disappearing around one of the corners. They wore their cheer outfits, which were navy, red and white. _...Wait...That...They ain't s'pose to be on this side of th' campus..._ He follows them, and comes around one corner, and he stops. There was the entire team, standing in a circle around Sarisa, who was looking at the floor, the bill of her hat covering her face. One of the cheerleaders steps forward. She had her jet black hair pulled into a high ponytail, and her eyes were the color of grey ice, and even colder. Joe recalls her name as Diana.

"Who do you think you are?" Diana asks Sarisa, her voice cold and angry.

"..." Sarisa says nothing, but hugs her books a bit tighter.

"Well?!" Diana demands, her eyes turning colder.

"..." Sarisa opens her mouth a bit as if to say something, then closes it back, and hugs her books tighter. Diana suddenly grabs the books, and tears them away. "Hey!" Sarisa exclaims, reaching out and trying to get them back.

"Isn't one of those a JOURNAL?" One of the cheerleaders asks.

"NO!" Sarisa says quickly.

"We can check into that later." Diana says, tossing the books behind her. "But, stop hanging out with Joe, got it?"

"He...He's...my friend..." Sarisa says, her voice fading, and her hands dainty fists against her collar bones.

"Then we'll give you some motivation!" Diana yells angrily. Sarisa suddenly crouches down, covering her head with her arms, and Diana pulls her fist back to strike her.

"HEY!" Joe suddenly yells, sprinting forward and grabbing Diana's wrist. She looks at him, her eyes wide and her face pale.

"Oh...Hi Joe!" She quickly smiles. Her smile was the kind that made a snake's look charming. "We were just-"

"I DON'T WANT YER EXCUSE!" Joe roars, pushing her aside. She stumbles back, but keeps her footing, then looks at Joe with her face whiter than snow, and obvious shock on it. The cheerleaders were all white, and looking at Joe with wide eyes. "And I don't want ya ta EVER even THINK about hurting' Sarisa again! **UNDERSTAND?!**" They all run off, Joe watching them with his face hard and fire in his eyes.

"...J-Joe...?" He hears Sarisa whisper, her voice shaky. His face softens, and he looks at her to see she was white.

He had scared her.

The realization suddenly made Joe feel as if he was chained to a gargantuan block of lead, and drains him of energy, making him fall down to his knees.

"..." He says nothing, and is able to feel Sarisa's terrified eyes watching him. "...I'm...I'm sorry..." Joe says softly, a tear streaming from his eye. "...I...I didn't mean to...scare ya...I...I just got angry..." He looks up at Sarisa with sad eyes, to see some color had come back to her face. "Are they th' ones who said ya were a loser?"

"..." Sarisa just hugs her legs, burying her face against her knees.

"...They've been pickin' on ya..." Joe says. He sits there for a second, and notices Sarisa's shoulders rising and falling jerkily.

_'She's crying.' _Ptera tells Joe. He gets over to Sarisa, and crouches down in front of her.

"Hey..." He says. "Why...why didn't ya tell anyone?"

"..." Sarisa says nothing, but lifts her head up, wiping her arm across her eyes. "I was scared. I thought that if I told anyone, they would hurt me worse...and...I just felt pathetic...That I wasn't worth the worry...I...I just felt ashamed of it..." She wipes her jacket sleeve across her eyes again, wiping tears away.

"Hey..." Joe takes her head in his hands, making her look at him with her sad, emerald eyes. "It's okay...There ain't nothin' ta be ashamed of. Ya ain't pathetic...Yer my friend." He gently brushes her bangs aside. "It's okay...I won't let 'em hurt ya ever again...alright?" Joe hugs her, her chin on his shoulder, his hand on the back of her head and his other arm holding her close. "I don't...I don't want ya to stop bein' my friend...I want us to stay together..." He hugs her a bit tighter. "...I...I want us to get closer together."

"..." Sarisa says nothing. Her hands curl into small fists against Joe's chest, and she lets her head lean against Joe's. He gently rocks her back forth, stroking her golden hair, and as Sarisa buries her face in the crook of his neck.

"...It's okay..." Joe says, his voice soft and gentle. He could smell her sweet scent from her hair, and she felt fragile and delicate in his arms. It made him want to never let go. It made him just want to sit there, and hold her.

"JOOOOOOOOooooooowhoa." Joe hears Pablo say. He looks over his shoulder and Sarisa lifts her head up to see Sam and Pablo standing there.

"...Uh...S-sorry...Didn't mean to interrupt..." Sam says, smiling awkwardly.

"I-It's okay..." Sarisa says, sitting back. She wipes her palm against her eye, wiping a tear away. "He...just..." She hugs her legs again.

_'She didn't want you to let go.' _Ptera says.

_'...' _Joe says nothing, but feels his face grow warm. He helps Sarisa up, and looks to see Sam and Pablo had gathered up Sarisa's books, and Joe's books, which he had dropped. _'She seems too shaky to walk.' _

_'She is.' _Ptera tells him. It was true. She walked slowly, hugging herself and looking down at the floor.

_ ..._ Joe mentally sighs, and wraps his arm around Sarisa, making her blush and quicken her pace.

A few minutes later...

"We'll see to it that they're punished." Mr. Khem tells Joe. He and Sam sat in the office with Mr. Khem and the collages Dean, the man in the suit who had read them the rules. "Picking on sweet Sarisa like that...It's just nothing but shameful and utterly disgraceful!"

"Ya can say that again." Joe tells him. It seemed all the teachers when not in class referred to Sarisa as 'sweet Sarisa' since they all loved her.

"You did the right thing Mr. Wildwest." The Dean says, making Joe look up at him. "Standing up for your friend. I wish more people were like you three boys. Mature, up standing and responsible." The praise make Joe and Sam smile.

"Thank you sir." Sam says.

"But, it seems we won't have to give the girls a harsh punishment..." Mr. Khem says.

"What?" The Dean asks. "Why not?"

"Joe here has a look that he gets when he's very angry, and he doesn't get angry very often, and the look he gets can scare the devil." Mr. Khem explains.

"He was infuriated." Sam says. "We could hear him yelling. When we got there, we saw his books on the floor from where he had dropped them."

"That's why Pablo said my name." Joe says, understanding.

"Yep."

"Alright, you boys go on." Mr. Khem says.

"Yes sir." Sam says, getting up.

"Thank ya fer yer time." Joe says. They both leave the room, and come out into the hall way where Sarisa and Pablo sat on a bench.

"Come on." Joe says. "Mr. Khem said they'd be punished." Sarisa nods, and stands up, her head still down and hugging her books. The four teenagers walk down the hallway.

"...I heard they have a pool here." Pablo says. "We could all go swimming."

"Sounds good." Sam says.

"You feel like it?" Joe asks Sarisa. She hugs her books a bit tighter.

"...I...guess..." She says, her voice quiet.

"Ya don't have to if ya don't wanna." Joe tells her. Sarisa's pace slows some as she hugs her books tighter. Joe stops, making Sam and Pablo stop. "Are ya alright?"

"..." Sarisa says nothing, but hugs her books tighter and hangs her head. "I-I was really scared..." Her voice was shaking, telling Joe she was on the verge of tears. He hugs her, Sarisa gripping his coat with small fists. "I've been in a fight before. Two girls held me down while another punched me. It hurt...It hurt so...bad..." She whimpers, her shoulders rising and falling jerkily. "Pa showed up, and he came running straight at them with his cane above his head, ready to beat them half to death. They ran, and he let them go and took me to the hospital."

"..." The three boys say nothing, but Joe hugs Sarisa tighter, a tear streaming down his face.

_How could someone do something so heartless? _He thinks. _Sarisa's never hurt anyone. She ain't done nothing to deserve that. _Joe feels Sam and Pablo hug Sarisa as well, making it a group hug.

"We all care about you Sarisa." Sam says. "We won't let anyone do to you. Not while we're alive." Pablo nods in agreement.

"..." Joe finds himself kissing Sarisa's forehead. "We'll keep ya safe. I promise."

"..." Sarisa grips Joe's coat tighter. "Thank you...Thank you so much." They all stand in the huge for a bit longer, then separate, Joe not wanting to. Sarisa smiles faintly. "You guys are the best friends anyone could ask for." She looks up at all of them with her sweet smile, making Joe's insides melt. "So...y'all wanna go swimming?"

"Sí! Sí!" Pablo says, jumping up and down.

"That's Pablo." Sam says. "Always hyper."

"Sí!" Pablo says again. Everyone smiles.

"I'll...I'll walk ya to yer room." Joe tells Sarisa. Sam and Pablo head off to their room to change, while Joe and Sarisa walk off.

A few minutes later...

Joe leans against the wall. He wore a plain white t-shirt, brown swimming trunks, and brown flip-flops. He found it slightly disturbing how there was no hair on his arms or legs. His towel hung over his shoulder, and he stood outside of Sarisa's room. He had gotten there ahead of Sam and Pablo, via shortcut.

"Okay." Joe hears Sarisa say as the door opens he looks up to see her stepping out of the room into the hallway.

He freezes.

She wore a green one piece that had a mini skirt, the edges were light green, and at the bottom of the left side, it had three roses, the middle one being red and a bit bigger, while the other two were blue and a bit small. She had one of those object you put on over your hair, which was green with light green around the edge as well, with roses as well. Her golden bangs still covered the tops of her eyes, but she overall looked absolutely adorable.

"..." Joe says nothing, but he feels his face grow hot.

"What do you think?" Sarisa asks, her sweet smile on her face.

_I think yer th' most adorable person in th' entire universe right now. _Joe thinks. His knees felt like they were going to give way, and he felt like he had been struck in the stomach, due to barely being able to breathe. "...W-well..."

_'YOU THINK SHE'S CUTE! YOU THINK SHE'S CUTE! YOU THINK SHE'S CUTE!' _Ptera teases.

_'__**PTERA**__!'_ Joe yells, making Ptera go silent. "I...u-uh..." Joe just couldn't form the words, and quickly looks away. "Y-Ya might wanna pull somethin' on over..."

"Why?" Sarisa asks.

"...Sunburn?" Joe asks.

"Ah...Sounds good!" He hears the door shut, and looks up to see her gone, then half falls half slumps against the wall, releasing his pent-up breath.

_'You-'_

_ 'I KNOW!' _Joe yells, making Ptera get quiet. _'I...I really can't put up with teasin' right now...'_

_ 'Okay.' _Ptera says. _'I'll just do it later then!'_

_ 'PTERA!' _Joe yells. The vivosaur snickers.

"Joe!" He looks to see Sam and Pablo walking over. Sam wore black swim trunks with blue on the sides, and Pablo wore orange swim trunks, while they both wore plain white t-shirts.

"Where's Sarisa?" Sam asks.

"Oh...She's gettin' a pullover." Joe tells them standing up.

"What does her swimsuit look like?" Pablo asks happily. Joe's face goes red.

"Uh...like a swim suit." He says.

"Ah...You thought she looked adorable, didn't you?!" Pablo says, point his finger accusingly at Joe.

"DID NOT!" Joe says.

"You always yell when you're in denial." Pablo tells him.

"DO NOT!" Joe yells. _Do I? _

"YEEEEEEES you-"

"OH...wow." Sam says, making Pablo stop talking, and making Joe and Pablo look at him. "Joe, can't believe you."

"What?" Joe asks.

"Aw, come on." Sam says. "Don't think we can't figure it out."

"Yea!" Pablo says. "...Figure what out?"

"..." Sam facepalms. After a second, he looks back at Joe, a devious look on his face, then points his finger accusingly at Joe. "YOU thought Sarisa looked so adorable in her swimsuit, that you told her that she should probably put on a pull over so that she wouldn't get sunburn, when REALLY you don't want anyone else to see her!"

"..." Joe gets stiff, and shock appears on his face.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Sam asks, crossing his arms smugly.

"...!" Joe says nothing. "**THAT AIN'T TRUE!**"

"What's not true?" Joe quickly whirls around to see Sarisa. She wore a white, light hoodie with short sleeves and black shorts.

"Nothin'!" Joe quickly says.

"...O...K...then." Sarisa says. "Let's go!" She walks past the boys, who then follow her. After a few minutes of walking, they come to the indoor pool, to see it empty.

"Whelp, let's have some fun!" Pablo says, dropping his towel and jumping into the pool with a splash.

* * *

**AN-FINALLY!**

**Joe: Ya can say that again...**

**Ptera: I DIDN'T TO TEASE JOE!**

**Magma: You act just like Shigure... **

**Gunsandgames: I will try to update more often. I PROMISE!**

**Greywing44: Tell me about it...But! If you loved that, JUST WAIT TILL NEXT CHAPA~!**

**Blossom: Okay! ^^**

**TDD25: Ah...okay. As for Ptera, he will not let up. HE WILL ONLY GET WORSE!**

**Chi: Hm. Fan girls...the bane of existence.**

**Pokenmonfan6000: YAY~!**

**Ptera: So can I tease Joe next chapter?! CAN I, CAN I, PLEASE?!**

**Magma: Oh, there'll be plenty to tease him about!**

**Joe: AW, COME ON!**

**Magma: Deal with it. XD**

**Ptera: YAY~! TORMENT!**

**Joe: I DIDN'T SIGN UP FER THIS!**

**Magma: You didn't sign up at all. XD**

**Joe: -_-**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN-ARIGHT! The chapa of Joe's much wanted torment!**

**Joe: WHAT IF I DON'T WANT IT?!**

**Magma: So?**

**Joe: I'm the one being tormented!**

**Ptera: TOO BAD! *grabs Joe* MAGMA! START TYPING!**

**Magma: With pleasure!**

**Joe: HEY! Hold on a-**

* * *

Chapter Nine-Night Time

Joe stretches his arms, ready to start. It was their last night at the college, and they were playing a game called Underground. There would be two teams: The Oppression Force, and the Freedom Allies. It would show how hard it was for the S.F.A., Secret Freedom Allies, to move around in enemy territory, delivering messages and doing sabotage. The Oppression Force team would try to get the people on the SFA team, while the SFA team would sneak around with slips of paper that were either messages, or something that had to be 'blown up' or how they were doing it, removing red tape stuck to an object.

"Alright!" Mr. Khem says. Everyone looks at him. "You're on your teams, now the Oppression team has to wait five minutes before they can start looking for anyone on SFA team. SFA team, you need to get your missions, and complete them without getting caught." Joe, Sam, Pablo and Sarisa were all on the SFA team. Joe wore his hat, a black bandana, black face paint, and his regular clothes since they were mostly dark, Sam wore a black vest, black denim shirt and pants, a black cowboy hat, black banana and face paint, while Pablo wore a black sombrero, black poncho, black shirt, his pants and boots, then had a black mask tied around his head. Sarisa wore a black baseball cap, black jacket, white shirt, black pants, her boots, and face paint. Her hood was on to help keep any light from reflecting off of her golden hair. Anyone on the Oppression team had red armbands, and just wore their regular clothes. As they wait to get started, Joe, Sam, Pablo, and Sarisa all chat.

"So, when does the game end exactly?" Pablo asks.

"Ten." Sam says. "Two hours...Man, it's dark tonight."

"Don't worry." Joe tells him. "A cloud's over th' moon. It'll come out, full an' silver, lightin' up our paths."

"Heh..." Sarisa laughs. The three boys look at her.

"What's funny?" Pablo asks.

"I was just thinking..." Sarisa says. "Think about it. The moon gets it's glow from the rays of sun that reflect off of it...right?" The boys all nod. "Then, by reason, doesn't that mean that beams of light from the moon are really rays of sunlight?"

"...That actually makes since." Joe says. Sam and Pablo nod in agreement.

"So, doesn't that mean that if vampires were real, they would still die even if it was moon light shining down on them?"

"..." The boys all agree that she has a point.

"Hey." The four of them all look to see the Robertson Triplets walking over, the red arm bands on their arms. Joe's face instantly hardens, and he steps in front of Sarisa, Sam and Pablo getting on either side of her.

"What're you guys?" Shay asks. "Her body guards?"

"Go away." Joe, Sam and Pablo all say in unison.

"Aw, don't be like THAT." Pine says.

"Yeah...we just wanted to tell Sarisa we're gonna enjoy interrogating her." Wolf says. Joe suddenly grabs Wolf by the collar.

"Lay a finger on her and you'll regret it." Joe growls. He then pushes Wolf back, his brothers catching him, before they glare, then leave.

"Thanks guys..." Sarisa says. The boys look at her.

"Don't worry." Joe tells her. "We won't let 'em near ya."

"Thanks..." Sarisa says, looking up at Joe with her sweet smile on her face, making Joe melt inside.

_'That smile...' _He mentally sighs.

_'Those lips...' _Ptera mentally sighs, imitating Joe's voice.

_'PTERA!'_

_ 'WHAAAAAAT? I know you think so~!'_

_ 'DO NOT!'_

_ 'Do too~!'_

_ 'DO NOT!'_

_ 'Then you don't want to kiss her?'_

_ '...W-well...'_

_ 'Gee, such a shame...those full, pink lips...just how soft and KISSABLE they look...then how when she smiles that sweet smile at you, how part of your brain yells at you to kiss her...How the smile practically screams 'kiss me', and-'_

_ '__**PTERA!**__' _Joe yells at Ptera.

_'What? You know I'm right.' _Ptera says. Joe resists the urge to hang his head.

"Ready SFA team?" Mr. Khem says. "GO!" The SFA team takes off, Joe, Sam, Pablo and Sarisa all in one group.

After some time...(around one hour and 45 minutes later)

Sarisa ran as fast as her slender, long legs would allow, her hood pulled on, and a slip of paper in her hand. She and her friends had been forced to split up when they ran into a Oppression team group, and she hadn't seen any of them since.

_I hope they didn't get caught... _She thinks. _Oh boy...how did they do this? Knowing that it was do or die, their lives depending on knowledge, timing, coordination, and dumb luck? _She thinks about it. _Well, they did have motivation. Their friends, family, and their homes...I don't think I could do this for real though...I'm fast, but I'm not strong, and if a bad guy DID get me... _She shudders. _I don't wanna think about that. _She slows down, stops, then puts her hands on her knees, bending over, panting. She stands there for a bit, then straighten, her hands on her hips and looking up at the sky, still panting. _How long was I running?_

"AH HA!" Sarisa whirls around just in time for someone to grab her shoulders, and pin her against a wall. She looks at their face to see the Robertson Triplets.

"Lemme go!" Sarisa says, her voice firm. She was scared on the inside though.

"We'll let you go..." Pine says.

"After you kiss us." Shay finishes.

"You SICKOS! NO!" Sarisa says.

"Aw, come on." Wolf says. He was the one who had her pinned to the wall. "We're not that bad."

"You chased me the first day I got here!" Sarisa yells at them. "Y'all had better count yourselves lucky that my Pa hasn't beaten you three half to death!"

"Pft. Why should we be scared of your old man?" Pine asks.

"Because." Sarisa says. "Before he got his polio, he was a general in the MARINES." Sarisa tells them. True story too.

"...Marines?" The triplets ask in unison.

"YES, now lemme go!"

"Not until you kiss us." Shay says.

"And," Wolf starts. "It has to be on the lips, longer than ten seconds, and..." He grins. "...it has to have some tongue."

"GROSS, **NO!**" Sarisa yells at him.

"Then we'll MAKE you!" Pine says. Before they can do anything, Sarisa, her leg like lightning, kicks Wolf right between the legs.

There's a very loud _CRUNCH_.

The teen release a cry that was more of a strangled squeak of pain, falling to the ground with his hands between his legs. Before the other two can determine what happened, Sarisa kicks them as well, them doing the same as the first, then runs away, as fast as she can. She was shaking, and had acted out of fear rather than bravery.

_Those SICKOS! _She thinks, shaking as she ran. _They...JUST GROSS! I'm NEVER GONNA DO THAT! I will NEVER, EVER kiss someone like how they wanted! That's not even a kiss! It's just two disgusting people sucking on each other's tongues! BLECH! _She still couldn't get rid of it. How scared she had been. Sure, just about every other girl in the world did it on a regular basis, but she wasn't every other girl. The idea of it had just always caused fear in her. If someone forced her to do that, what would they force her to do? It was that reason why she decided to not want anything that could cause it, even romance.

Until she met Joe.

_He's different... _She thinks. _I feel safer near him...Like the first day I came. There I was, running as fast as I could, when I heard someone say that they were gonna help me. Then when I ran into that canyon, and saw Joe wrestling that triplet, I thought he was one of the nicest, bravest people, actually fighting that triplet in order to help me, a complete and utter stranger...Then it was how he talked. How nice it sounded. Then...when we looked each other in the eye, how I just felt like the entire world had stopped moving, and that the stars moved around us...How I got complete lost in his eyes every time I looked at them. How I just felt so safe and warm when he had his arm around me when we were looking up at the stars...I could've actually fallen asleep. Then how he looked away real quick when I looked over him when he was brushing his horse...how he had such a soft, loving look in his eyes...He...he doesn't want to hurt me. I...It's just the look he had in his eyes...Then how he went against that bear so...so fearlessly. How he held me when I ran over to him after I shot it. How he didn't get upset at me for never wanting to use a gun. Then how he...just...he got so mad at that stout man. I knew Joe could throw a punch, but he broke the man's nose. _

_ ...Then...there was when...we...almost-_

Sarisa suddenly slams into someone.

_KISSED! _

"Sarisa?"

"Joe!" Sarisa exclaims, recognizing his voice.

* * *

Joe laid on the ground, Sarisa on top of him. He had heard her yell, so he had come running as fast as possible.

"Ya alright?" He asks.

"Y-yeah...I'm fine..." Sarisa says, her voice slightly shaking. She sits back, hugging her knees.

"...No, somethin's wrong." Joe says, sitting up and putting a hand on her shoulder. "Ya always hug yerself when somethin's wrong."

"..." Sarisa says, nothing, but suddenly hugs Joe, her face against his chest. He blushes some and hugs her back, and she starts telling him about the Robertson Triplets pinning her against a wall. After she finishes, complete, roaring anger explodes in Joe.

"THOSE LITTLE..." He growls. "Where are they?! I'll show 'em what happens when they mess with ya! I'll break every bone in their weak little skeletons!"

"It...It's okay Joe..." Sarisa tells him. "I already did something to them."

"What?" Joe asks.

Sarisa tells him.

"..." Joe says nothing, but looks at her boots. They were made of a hard, tough leather with steel toes, thick, hard soles, and with how fast Sarisa could run, he knew that she didn't kick lightly either...They weren't merciful boots.

He resists the urge to press his knees together and cringe.

"...I don't think they'll be walkin' for a bit." Joe says.

"Probably..." Sarisa says. She rests her head back on Joe's chest. "I was scared...I don't want them to do anything to me..."

"They ain't gonna." Joe tells her, gently hugging her, his hand on the back of her head.

"..." Sarisa says nothing, but hugs Joe a bit tighter. "Thanks..." She buries her face against his chest, and Joe smiles a small smile. It felt so good to hold her in his arms.

"This way!" They hear someone say.

"That was Pine!" Sarisa exclaims, her head shooting up. "How in the world are they walking?!"

"I dunno, and I don't wanna find out!" Joe says. "C'mon!" Joe grabs Sarisa's hand, and they take off running.

A few minutes later...

Joe and Sarisa pushed their way through foliage, jumping over rocks and tree roots. They had ran off of the campus and into the woods, knowing it would be the only safe place.

_'How can she run so fast?' _Joe wonders, still holding Sarisa's hand as they ran.

_'She's small, she's thin, and she has long legs.' _Ptera tells him. _'Why shouldn't she?'_

_ 'Good point.'_

_ 'Soooo...you enjoying yourself?'_ Ptera asks deviously.

_'...What?'_

_ 'You're still holding her hand~!'_

_ 'SO WE WON'T GET SEPERATED!'_

_'Are you SUUUUUUUUURE that's the only reason~?'_

_ 'YES, I'm s-' _Joe's foot suddenly hits a rock, throwing him off balance. He and Sarisa were in a glade that was filled with the silver rays of moonlight while the stars glittered and sparkled over head. It had a small river which was like crystal, tinted silver from the light, while fireflies floated in the air, blinking their lights on and off, and there was flowers in the clearing as well. Joe pivots his other foot in an attempt to keep himself from falling, only to throw himself off even more, making him fall down, taking Sarisa with him since he still held her hand. They fall to the ground, Joe on bottom with Sarisa on top, and Joe's hat falling off in the process.

_'You enjoying yourself NOW?' _Ptera asks deviously.

_'...SH-SHUT UP!' _Joe yells.

_'Yep...you are~!' _

_'PTERA!'_

_ 'Okay, okay. I'll leave you two lovers alone.'_

_ '__**PTERAAAAAAAAA!**__' _Joe feels Ptera withdraw from his mind, leaving him alone.

"Y-you okay?" Sarisa asks, pushing herself up some.

"Y-y-yeah..." Joe tells her. His face was warm from a blush, and he was thankful that his face paint covered it since his hat was unable to keep the moonlight from hitting his face. They hear a bell ring ten times.

"Ten o' clock..." Sarisa says. "Game's over..."

"Yeah..." Joe says. He laid there, staring up at her. Sarisa sits back, getting off of Joe, allowing him to sit up. She rubs her face, bits of the dried face paint coming off. She then looks back up at Joe, her skin like blue tinted ivory in the midnight light. Joe could still see her eyes, which the silver light and stars reflected off of. It made her look breath taking, sitting in the moon light with the fireflies and flowers around her while her eyes looked more valuable than anything, tangible or intangible. It made Joe's blush deepen even more.

"...Aren't you going take off your face paint?" Sarisa asks. "It's not too pleasant to wear..."

"Uh...w-w-well...I..." His voice fades to a faint whisper, unable to form the words. Sarisa reaches forward, putting her palms against his face, getting the face paint off. Joe feels his blush get even deeper and warmer. _Please don't let 'er feel th' heat from my blush..._

"..." Sarisa slightly tilts her head as if confused, then rubs her palm against Joe face again, all of the face paint gone. "Are...are you sick?"

"...Uh...N-n-n-no..." Joe stammers, forcing the words out.

"...Oh really..." Sarisa says, her voice quiet and leaning towards Joe. Joe feels his blush deepen even more, his eyes grow wide, and nervousness explodes in him. "you sure?" Sarisa whispers, moving even closer, making Joe's stomach hurt from nervousy. He quickly starts shuffling back, only to go a few feet before he backs into a rock. It was too wide for him to go around, and the top was two feet above his head. His back was pressed flat against its smooth surface, and he was in complete panic on what to do. Sarisa blinks, gets up, picks up Joe's hat, and walks over to him, crouching down in front of him.

_...! _Joe was complete unsure of what to do, and he didn't trust his tongue to say anything right without tying itself up.

"Here you go." Sarisa says, putting Joe's hat on his head. Her fingertips then slid down along the locks of hair that hung down on either side of his face, down his jaw, and stop at his bandana, which her fingers then wrap around. Joe just sat there, his face stinging from his blush, extraordinarily flustered, and shaking a bit from being jittery while his right foot twitched uncontrollably, knocking the rock next to it. Sarisa tugs at Joe's bandana, pulling him closer, causing his eyes to widen even more, his foot twitch faster, and the nervousy in him to sky rocket. Her hands then run up his jaw, leaning in more making Joe press his head back against the rock, while her fingers went up into his thick, strawberry blonde locks, and there was a one inch gap between their faces, and their lips.

"..." Joe says nothing, unable to say anything from nervousy.

"You okay Joe?" Sarisa whispers, moving her head even closer.

"..." Joe only opens his mouth a bit, then clamps it back shut. He'd only say gibberish if he tried to talk. Sarisa wraps one of her arms around his neck, while the other remains on the side of his face.

"You really are shy...ya know that?" Sarisa asks, her voice still a whisper and twirling the lock of hair that hung down on that side of his face around her index finger, while her face was a fraction of an inch away from Joe's

"...I-I-I...!" Joe forces out, barely able to breathe. Sarisa just smiles, resting her head on her arm that was wrapped around Joe's neck.

"It's cute though." She whispers. It oddly made Joe happy.

She then kisses his cheek.

Joe's eyes get even wider as warmth erupts in him, making him stiffen and melt inside. He just felt like he could melt. As if everything was just a soft sigh now, and that he could take off into the sky. The kiss was soft, tender, and loving.

It made him want another.

"Joe?" Sarisa asks, Joe looks at her, a wide foolish smile on his face and a lazy look in his eyes, which were half lidded. "ARE you okay? You just...got stiffer than a bored then...relaxed..." Joe blinks lazily, and wraps his arms around her thin, petite build.

"Why wouldn't I be?" He whispers in her ear. Sarisa puts her hand on where his arm connected to his torso, pushing him back against the rock. She then leans back towards him wrapping her arm back around his neck, while Joe's hands lay on the ground next to his legs, gripping the grass.

"Good point..." Sarisa whispers, blinking lazily. Joe smiles the wide, foolish smile again as Sarisa kisses his cheek again, and making him 'melt' more. He remembers what Sam said on the camping trip, about dopamine.

_I bet that's all through my veins right now..._ Joe thinks, Sarisa kissing his temple. He felt weak, just like how before he and Sarisa had almost kissed. He felt as if he laid on a cloud, as light as a feather. He wraps his arms back around her, pulling her close, her head on his chest while she laid on her side.

"Hey Joe..." Sarisa whispers.

"Yeah?" Joe whispers back, kissing her temple.

"...Thanks..." Sarisa whispers, looking up at him. Her eyes were soft and loving, she had her sweet smile on her face, making Joe's blush get warmer. If that was possible.

_No matter how much I don't wanna admit it..._ Joe thinks. _Ptera was right. _Her smile practically did say 'kiss me'. Joe pulls Sarisa closer. "Fer what...?" He murmurs.

"..." Sarisa just smiles some more. "For being the most wonderful person I've ever met." She tells him, her voice softer. Joe feels something in his mind nudging at him, telling him to lean in. To kiss her. He closes his eyes, leaning in as Sarisa did the same, tilts his head some, and-

"HELLO!" Someone yells. Sarisa whirls her head around to look over her shoulder.

"That was Wolf!" She says.

"What?!" Joe quietly says, sitting up.

_'And things were JUST getting good...' _Ptera says.

_'...You...were...?' _Joe asks.

_'Yup.' _Ptera says, mentally nodding. _'And again, things were just getting good~.'_

_ '__**PTERA YOU LITTLE PERVERTED SPY!**__' _Joe roars, mentally strangling Ptera.

_'Joe! Don't...strangle...ME!' _Ptera says, trying to get Joe to stop, to no success, so he just keeps mentally flapping his wings rapidly.

"Ugh...where is she?" Joe and Sarisa hear Pine ask. Sarisa hugs Joe, while he protectively wraps his arms around her.

"I just wanna know how she runs so fast..." Shay says.

"What do we do?" Sarisa asks Joe.

"..." He thinks. "We'll probably run into 'em..." Joe feels Sarisa hug Joe a bit tighter. An idea pops into his mind. "Hold on, I got m'self an idea now." He helps her up, pulls off his coat, and takes off his hat. "Put these on." Joe says, handing them to Sarisa. She pulls on the coat, it being especially baggy on her, then puts on Joe's hat, her baseball cap keeping it from falling over her eyes. "Alright. Now, I can pass fer Sam, and Ptera's medal is in my coat. Ptera can imitate my voice, so it'll sound like yer th' one talking."

"Okay." Sarisa says, nodding.

"Let's go." Joe says. They walk out of the glade, and into the woods. After a bit, they hear the Triplet's footsteps, and Joe feels a hand on his shoulder. He looks to see it was Sarisa's.

"...Why...?" He asks quietly.

"You're taller than me." She says quietly. "You and Sam are the same height."

"Ah..."

"Sam! Joe!" Joe and Sarisa look to see the Robertson Triplets coming towards them. It was too dark for the triplets to tell the difference.

"You guys know where Sarisa is?" Shay asks.

_"She's back in her dorm room." _Ptera says, imitating Joe's voice and projecting his thoughts.

"Ah, man." Wolf says.

"Sam, where's your hat?" Pine asks.

_"It flew off his head while he was runnin'."_ Ptera says. _"Pablo took it back to the room."_

"..." The Triplets all look at Sarisa.

"Why doesn't Sam answer?" Shay asks.

_"Yelled too much. Lost his voice."_ Ptera says.

"Ah..." They all say. They then turn, and leave. Joe and Sarisa then quick dart off, making it back onto the college campus. They run to Sarisa's dorm room, Sarisa opening the door and both of them running inside, Joe shutting the door. then leaning against it, panting. Sarisa pulls off Joe's hat and coat, handing them back to him.

"Thanks..." He says, putting his hat on his head. He opens the door, and looks up and down the hallway, to see no one. "Alright." Joe says. "Just lock th' door an'-" He looks to see Sarisa sitting in the desk chair, her head rested on her arms, and fast asleep.

"..." Joe says nothing, but just smiles some.

A few minutes later...

"I'm back!" Joe says, entering his dorm room, Sam and Pablo on their beds, Sam doing a crossword puzzle and Pablo reading a book, while they both wore their pajamas.

"EEEEEY, Joe!" Pablo says, looking over at him.

"Y'all enjoy th' game?" Joe asks, shutting the door behind him.

"Sí!" Pablo says, sitting up.

"Uh...Joe?" Sam asks, looking at him.

"Yeah?" Joe asks, hanging his towel over his shoulder.

"Where's your coat?" Sam asks. Joe stops...

A few minutes earlier...

Joe looks at Sarisa as she slept peacefully. He looks at his coat in his hand, then back Sarisa. He then drapes his coat over her shoulders to help keep her warm, brushing her bangs back, to see her faintly smiling. He stands there for a second, the leans down and kisses her forehead, then hurries out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Back in present time...

"...Well..." Joe looks down some, allowing the brim of his hat to cover his eyes as a light blush crossed his face. "I...It needed to be washed, and this place has a place where I can pick it up in th' mornin'."

"Ah..." Sam and Pablo say in unison.

"Whelp, I'm gonna take a shower." Joe says, hurrying into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

Sam and Pablo watch Joe shut the door as he heads into the bathroom.

"..." They say nothing.

"Sarisa has it, doesn't she?" Pablo asks, looking at Sam.

"Yep." Sam says, looking back at his crossword. "And, I think I know why he's getting back late..."

"..." Pablo says nothing. "...Why?"

"..." Sam lets his head loll back. "...Are you REALLY that DENSE?"

"...Sí!" Pablo says happily, making Sam facepalm.

"...He and Sarisa were with each other, and I'm pretty sure they kissed."

"...REALLY?!" Pablo exclaims, scrambling up.

"Yep. Didn't you notice how he blushed some?" Sam asks. "And, when I asked he undoubtedly thought about her, and his lower jaw trembled with excitement some...the only question is was it on the lips?"

"..." Neither of them say nothing, but look at the desk where a Dino Medal sat, with a green ring around the edge and a winged, yellow vivosaur on it. Sam and Pablo look at each other, allowing devious looks to appear on their faces.

"Ptera~!" Pablo says.

_"Ugh...WHAT?" _Ptera asks, projecting his thoughts and coming out of his medal, shrunken down to the size of a parrot. He flies over to Sam's bed, perching at the foot of the bed.

"We were wondering about something, and we think you might be able to help us." Sam explains, smiling.

_"...You nitwits woke me up for THAT?" _Ptera asks. _"GEEZ. Look, I'm bushed and I want to get some sleep, so that's what I'm gonna do."_

"We were just wondering why Joe was out late." Pablo says.

_"And I suddenly have energy to stay awake!"_ Ptera says, energetic. _"Now, What would you two gentlemen like to know?" _

"Just what was Joe doing while he was gone?" Sam asks.

_"Well, I have to admit, I did enjoy watching~!" _Ptera half says half snickering. _"So, Joe and Sarisa run into each other, the triplets are after Sarisa, so Joe and Sarisa run to hide, they run out into the woods, and come to a glade...It was so nice, too. Full moon, glittering stars, fireflies and flowers, crystal stream, and, Joe did think Sarisa looked absolutely BREATHTAKING with the stars and moonlight reflecting off of her eyes, her skin looking like blue tinted ivory, and surrounded by the flowers and fireflies~!" _Sam and Pablo laugh.

"But..." Sam starts. "What exactly happened?"

_"Well..." _Ptera says, a devious look on his face. _"Joe kinda got his back against a rock, Sarisa kept moving in, and...Well, it wasn't on the lips, but I know you guys can fill in the rest~!"_

"Did he...enjoy it?" Pablo asks, he and Sam on Sam's bed, lying on their stomachs, watching Ptera.

_ "YEEEEAAAAAH he did~!" _Ptera says. _"He felt like he could fly off into the sky, and that he could just melt."_

Sam and Pablo laugh more.

Later...

Joe walks out of the bathroom, a towel around his neck and using one end of it to help dry his hair, while he wore his pajamas. Sam and Pablo sat on their beds, Pablo reading his book and Sam doing his crossword. They look up at him as he comes out, and they both smile.

"..." Joe looks at them. "...What?"

"..." They says nothing, but keep smiling.

"..." Joe looks over his shoulder to see nothing, then looks back at them. "...There somethin' on my face?"

"..." They say nothing, but keep smiling.

"...What?!" Joe asks.

"So, what did you think of that glade you and Sarisa were in?" Sam asks happily.

"And what did you think of the way Sarisa looked in the moonlight?" Pablo asks.

"..." Joe says nothing, but his eyes get wide, and his face deep red. "**PTEEEEEEEERAAAAAAAAAAAAA!**" Joe roars.

THE NEXT MORNING...

Sarisa starts waking up, taking a deep breath through her nose. She smelled hickory wood chips and sweet straw. _...Joe...? _She thinks, recognizing the smell. He smelled like that. She opens her eyes, to see she was sitting at the desk in her dorm room, her head on her arms, and Joe's coat draped on her shoulders. She sits up, pulling it tighter around her.

_...You silly cowboy... _She thinks, taking a deep breath through her nose, her lips pressed against the shoulder.

LATER...(time skipping much?)

Joe sits down on a stone bench, having already put his stuff back on the bus. They were going back home today, but Joe still couldn't stop thinking about last night. Sam and Pablo kept him up half the night teasing him, then the other half Ptera kept giving him dreams that Joe and Sarisa were back in the glade, and no one found them.

"Joe?"

"Gah!" Joe jumps up, whirling around to see Sarisa standing there, wearing his coat over her usual clothes. "Oh...uh...m-m-mornin'...Sarisa...Did...Did ya sleep well?"

"..." Sarisa says nothing, but blushes some, pulling Joe's coat around her shoulders some. "Y-yeah...I...I was wondering why I..." She shakes her head quickly "N-never mind...!" _Should I tell him I dreamt of him...? _She wonders.

"O-okay..." Joe says, looking down at his feet.

"..." They stand in an awkward silence.

"H-here's your coat..." Sarisa tells Joe, holding it out to him.

"Th-thanks...!" Joe says, taking it in his hands.

"I-I'm gonna go get on th' bu-"

"Wait!" Joe suddenly says, taking her hand. Sarisa looks at their hands, then at Joe, a blush on her face making the one Joe's get deeper. "I-I just...There's somethin' I need ta tell ya!" He was nervous. VERY...nervous.

"Y-y-yeah...?" Sarisa asks, nervous.

"...I-I-I...!" Joe was stiffer than a board. Stiffer than a marble pillar. His face was warm, he couldn't take his eyes off of Sarisa's emerald ones, and the fuzzy warmth was pouring into him, while the yelling from the back of his mind was nudging his conscious mind. _...I LOVE YOU! _Joe thinks to himself. _I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU! I wanna tell ya that! I wanna hold ya close an' never let go! I love ya so much! I love ya more than anythin' I've ever loved in mah whole life! I love ya more than Fossil Fightin', I love ya ten thousand times more than it! I JUST WANNA TELL YA THAT I LOVE YA! _"...Th-thanks fer returnin' my coat." He tells her. The words made him feel as if he had failed...epically.

"Y-you're welcome..." Sarisa says, faintly smiling, yet there was a bit of sadness in her eyes, which caused a spike of pain in Joe. "I'll...I'll see you on the bus..." She pulls her hand out of Joe's hand, and hurries away.

"..." Joe hangs his head. "...I love you."

LATER...(like, around seven or eight...p.m.)

"Joe, wake up." Someone tells Joe, who opens his eyes, drowsy.

"What..." He mumbles.

"We're back." Joe looks up to see Sam and Pablo standing up next to his seat, the bus empty and the sky outside dark.

"And...we thought you might want to wake up. Again." Pablo tells Joe, smiling. Joe looks at his shoulder to see Sarisa's head rested on it, making Joe's face turn red.

"S-Sarisa...?" Joe asks. Sarisa says nothing, but rolls over, still deep in sleep.

"..." The three boys say nothing.

"I don't think she's going to wake up." Pablo says.

"I'll carry 'er." Joe says, getting up. He then picks her up, Sarisa's head on his shoulder. They get off the bus, Sam and Pablo grabbing their duffle bags as well as Joe's and Sarisa's.

"Eh?" The three boys all look to see Sarisa's father walking over to them, using his cane. "Is she sick?"

"Uh...no sir. She...she just won't wake up. Too far asleep." Joe tells him.

"Ah...I knew this was going to happen." Mr. Eastward says.

"...SIR?" The three boys ask, confused.

"She falls asleep on trips like this." Mr. Eastward tells them. "Whether it be bus, plane, train or car, she'll fall asleep and sleep straight through it."

"..." The boys say nothing, unsure of how to react.

"...Well then." Sam says plainly. "That's...different."

"It is, isn't it?" Mr. Eastward says. "Well, if you could get her into my car, I would appreciate it."

"Will do, Mr. E-" Sarisa stirs some, making Joe fall silent as she cuddles up to him, making Joe's face turn red, Sam and Pablo snicker, and Mr. Eastward raise an eyebrow. "Uh..."

"..." The only sound is Sam and Pablo snickering.

"I-I'll get 'er yer car!" Joe says, hurrying over to Mr. Eastward's green car. Mr. Eastward opens the door for the passenger side, allowing Joe to put Sarisa down in the seat.

"Thank you." Mr. Eastward tells Joe as he shuts the door.

"Y-yer welcome..." Joe stammers, his face still a bit red.

"Here's her stuff." Sam says, handing Sarisa's duffle bag to Mr. Eastward.

"Thank you." He tells him. "Get home safely." The boys all nod.

LATER...

Joe opens the door to his room, tosses his duffle bag aside, then falls face first on his bed, tired and still feeling as if he had messed up that morning.

_How do I tell 'er that I love her? _He wonders. _Hidin' it, not tellin' 'er...It's eantin' away at me. I gotta tell 'er. If I don't...Ugh...It's gonna consume me and I'll just yell it ta th' heavens at the worst possible time..._ Joe thinks, mulling over what to do, which was difficult for him since he didn't know squat about love. He rolls over, laying on his back with one arm across his stomach and the other across his eyes.

"Joe?" Joe lifts his arm up off his eyes, to see his Pa standing in the doorway, his hand on the knob. He puts his arm back over his eyes.

"Hey Pa..." Joe half says, half sighs. His Pa sighs as well, shuts the door behind him, and walks over to the bed, and sits down on the foot of it, patting Joe's knee.

"Alright, what happened?" He asks.

"Sir?" Joe asks, lifting his arm off his eyes again.

"You always come in saying nothing and head straight to your room when ever something's bothering you, now what is it?" Mr. Wildwest says.

"..." Joe lets his arm lay across his eyes again. "...Well...Sarisa kinda...well..." His voice fades as he talks, turning into a murmur.

"What about her?" Mr. Wildwest asks.

"..." Joe sits and says nothing, but shoots up, grabbing the collar of his Pa's coat, getting an inch away from his face while Joe's eye were wide. "She KISSED me!"

"WHAT?!" Mr. Wildwest exclaims. Joe releases the collar of his coat, and leans back, sitting cross legged with his head hanging.

"It wasn't on th' lips, she kissed my face, an'...Well, we ALMOST kissed, but..." Joe sighs. "I dunno what to do...I was gonna tell 'er I loved 'er, but...It just didn't come out!"

"..." Joe's Pa blinks in surprise again, looking at his love distraught son. "...Well. What all exactly happened?"

"..." Joe sighs. "Well, we left fer the collage, an' when we got there I was asleep, so..."

One explanation later...

"Well, I'm not going to tease you for it since it seems like you've got your hands full with Sam, Pablo and Ptera," Pa says. "but, I'm not quite sure how to help. Just let things take their course, and you'll know when the time is right to tell her that you love her."

"..." Joe says nothing. _...Thanks fer listin'. _

"Well, I'll leave you to think about it." Pa says, patting Joe's head. "Sleep well." He gets up and leave, leaving Joe alone to think.

* * *

**AN-DID Y'ALL ENJOY THAT OR WHAT?!**

**Joe: I DIDN'T **

**Magma: You kinda were only suppose to enjoy the part where Sarisa was kissing you...and you really ENJOYED her KISSING you~!**

**Joe: *blushes***

**Charzard0312: They were just jealous of Sarisa's lovely looks.**

**mysterydude123: ...What?**

**Gunsandgames: And ANOTHER CHAPA! :D**

**1T1S1T: YAAAAYZ~! :D :D :D**

**Pokemonfan6000: Thanks! :D**

**Chi-San: YUSH! TORMENT FOR JOE! Didja enjoy it?**

**Joe: WHY DO Y'ALL ENJOY WATCHIN' ME SUFFER?!**

**Ptera: You're just a torcher-able character. **


	10. Chapter 10

**AN-OKAY! I have decided to have some more Joe-Torment-**

**Joe: AW C'MON!**

**Magma: in this chapa! And, we'll get a visit from a character you all know and love!**

**Joe: WHY ME?!**

**Ptera: Cause it's FUN! MAGMA! START WRITING!**

**Magma: NO!**

**Ptera: WHY?!**

**Magma: I type, not write. *troll face***

**Ptera: -_-**

* * *

Chapter Ten-Over for Dinner

THE...uh...THE NEXT MONDAY AT SCHOOL...

Joe hurries down the hallway, going to his locker to get his stuff. He and Sarisa had exchanged few words since the class trip, and she always looked up at Joe when he was looking at her, only to make him quickly look back down at his desk or feet while a blush would surface on his face.

_How much longer? _Joe wonders, arriving at his locker. _I can barely stand this! Havin' ta look away when our eyes meet, stammerin' and stutterin' when I talk to 'er, and Ptera's teasin'! _

"Hey Joe!" Joe looks up to see Sam and Pablo walking over to him, both smiling.

"If yer gonna tease me, I'm in no mood ta deal with it." Joe tells them, looking back at his locker.

"No, but we heard that someone's coming to visit you this afternoon." Sam tells him, making Joe's face get a red tint.

"No, it's not Sarisa, it's an old amigo of yours!" Pablo tells him, making Joe look at Pablo, dumbfounded.

"Who?" Joe asks. Sam and Pablo just smile, then walk off.

_...I gotta bad feelin' all of a sudden..._

A few minutes later...

"I'm home!" Joe says, pushing open the front door to his house.

"Well, go wash your face and comb your hair!" Ma calls from the kitchen. "We're having guests over for supper!"

"Who?" Joe questions, sticking his head in the kitchen to see his mother cooking.

"The Eastwards." She tells him.

"...Yes...ma'am..." Joe says, his face dropping and shirking out of the kitchen.

_'Maybe you could lock yourself in your room?' _Ptera suggests.

_'Nope. Pa can picklocks, and if that don't work he'd break th' door down.' _Joe tells Ptera, going into the bath room and pulling his gloves off.

_'...WOW...' _Ptera says.

_'Yep.' _Joe tells him, washing his face and combing his hair before putting his gloves and hat back on.

Later...

The doorbell rings.

"I'll get it!" Jack says, practically running over to the door. He opens it to see Mr. Eastward standing there. "...Hello Mr. Eastward..."

"Jack." He says plainly.

"Ah! Welcome! Please, come in, come in." Pa says, making a 'come in' motion with his hand, allowing Mr. Eastward, Sarisa then Mrs. Eastward to come in.

"My, you have a very nice home." Mrs. Eastward says, smiling and looking around the room.

"Ah! Thank you!" Ma says, while Joe sits on the sofa, hands on his knees as he stares at them.

"So, I heard you handle horses?" Mr. Eastward asks Pa.

"Oh yes!" Pa says, smiling. "Would you like to see them?"

"That would be very nice! Thank you." Mr. Eastwards says, smiling.

"C'mon Joe." Pa says, grabbing Joe by the collar and pulling him up.

A minute later...

"And this is a Chestnut mare." Pa says, patting a horse on its snout, while Joe stands, looking down at his feet, Sarisa standing next to him, and Mr. Eastward admiring the horse.

"These are very well bred horses." He tells Pa.

"Oh yes." Pa tells him. "You'd have to go around the world to find one just as good!" The two men just smile.

"SUPPER!" Ma calls from the house.

"Ah! Let's go!" Pa says, the two men walking towards the doors while Joe and Sarisa hurry to catch up with them. They step out of the barn, following the two adults.

"SARISA~!" Joe hears a small girl's voice squeal. He looks up just in time to see a blur of red and black slam into him, just like a brick wall, knocking him to the ground.

"...OW..." Joe groans, sitting up to see a girl about five years old with hair as black as a starless night and deep, dreamy brown eyes, full red lips, hair that fell to the lower middle of her back, with the hair on the side of her head pulled back and braided, then head in place by a red hair tie. Her hair was so thick it looked like you could get lost in it, and was in soft curls that made your mind sigh. She wore red goggles on her head, a short sleeved red and black striped v-neck shirt, a red vest, and red cargo pants with red and white boots that hug against her skin, while freckles dusted across her nose and cheek bones.

"..." She says nothing, but keeps sitting on Joe. "...You're not Sarisa!" She says, then jumping off of him, and running over to Sarisa, her hair trailing behind her beautifully. "Sarisa!"

"XAVIA~!" Sarisa, who had ducked when the girl had jumped at her, squeals allowing the small girl to jump into her arms.

"ONEE-CHAN!" The small girl squeals, hugging Sarisa.

"..." Joe says nothing, but sits there with a look of surprise on his face, practically able to see hearts floating around the two girls. "What...jus' happened...?"

"Ah! Joe, this is Xavia. She's a good friend of Sarisa's." Mr. Eastward tells Joe.

"Why...what does 'onee-chan' mean?" Pa asks.

"It's a term meaning 'big sister'." Mr. Eastward explains. "She calls Sarisa that sometimes."

"Sarisa's my onee-chan!" The small girl, Xavia, says with a cute smile, her head tilted while Sarisa's hands rested on her shoulders.

"..." Joe just smiles, stands up, goes over and pats her head. "Yer jus' th' cutest lil' girl."

"I AM NOT!" She suddenly yells, making Joe jump. "Only Sarisa, her parents and my family can call me cute and if you don't like it, then too bad 'cause YOU GOTTA _DEAL_ WITH IT!"

"..." Joe and Pa just stand there, then start laughing.

"...It...was the way I said it...isn't it?" Xavia asks.

"Yeah!" Joe laughs.

"Xavia!" They all look to see Mrs. Eastward rushing towards them then taking Xavia's head in her hands. "You're as cute as ever!"

"Thank you~!" Xavia says, her cute smile on her face.

_'SHE'S SO ADORABLE...' _Ptera says, Joe receiving an image of Ptera holding his head with a happy look on it.

_'Yeah...' _Joe agrees.

"What's going-" Everyone looks to see Ma and Jack coming over, surprised to see Xavia.

Joe suddenly recognizes the look on his mother's face.

"MA! DON'T-"

"SHE'S SO CUTE!" His mother squeals, snatching Xavia up in a hug, cutting Joe off.

"..." Everyone stands surprised, except for Joe and Jack who both facepalm, while Ma stands holding Xavia, a happy look on her face while Xavia's unsure of how to react.

"Why didn't you tell us about this little angel?!" Ma asks. "She's so adorable! I just want to bake her in a cake!"

"THAT'D KILL ME!" Xavia yells, scrabbling out of Ma's clutches and darting behind Sarisa.

"...I..." Ma stands there, looking down at Xavia, who stands looking out from behind Sarisa.

"She...thinks people are serious when they say that." Sarisa explains.

"Hey!" Everyone looks to see a man about seventeen running towards them from a small blue car. His hair was black, his eyes brown, he wore a denim jacket, a red shirt, denim jeans and brown boots, while a red baseball cap sat on his head, turned backwards, allowing his shaggy bangs to stick out from it.

"Parker?" Sarisa asks.

"Xavia! Don't fly off like that!" The man, Parker, says, kneeling down in front of Xavia.

"I'm sorry..." Xavia says, her eyes down cast. "I was just excited about seeing onee-chan again..."

"...OH, don't gimme that look!" Parker whines. "You know it makes me feel bad!"

"That's why I do it!" Xavia says, brightening.

"..." Parker just smiles, and hugs Xavia. "You're so cute..."

"Ya know 'em?" Joe asks Sarisa.

"He's Xavia's older brother." Sarisa tells him. "He goes to school overseas though, there's a school that'll give him a high school education, and it'll also give him extra classes for learning architecture."

"Architecture?" Jack asks.

"Yes, I want to be one." Parker says, standing up, holding Xavia. "I've always been good at it."

"..." Jack just blinks.

"Well, there's just one person missing..." Ma says.

"How's the parents?" Mr. Eastward asks Parker.

"They're in great health." Parker tells him, smiling. "They would've come, but Dad just got back from a business trip, and Mom was busy."

"Ah..." Mr. Eastward says.

"Joe!" Xavia says, jumping from Parker's arms, and dashing over to him. She then points up at him. "You're friends with onee-chan, right?"

"...Yeah...?" He asks.

"GOOD!" Xavia says. "See that it stays that way," She then points at Jack. "and see that you stay away from her!"

"..." No one says anything.

"She's protective of Sarisa." Mrs. Eastwards says. "Isn't it adorable?!"

"Ha! I'm not afraid of you!" Jack says, walking over and bending at the waist to look Xavia in the eye. "You're just a little girl! Why should I be afraid of you?"

"..." Xavia's eyes narrow.

"...Here we go." Parker says.

Xavia then grabs Jack by the wrist, arches him over her head, and smashes him into the ground, as easily as Joe would his pick.

"...WHAT IN TARNATION?!" Joe exclaims, shocked at the strength in the small child.

"I'm tougher and stronger than you whether you like it or not!" Xavia tells Jack, who's in a daze. "So too bad if you don't like it, 'cause YOU GOTTA _DEAL_ WITH IT!" Joe laughs again at the way Xavia said it.

"Wait..." Mrs. Eastward says. She looks at Ma. "Who else needs to show up?"

"Oh, an old friend of Joe's." Ma says.

"Who-"

"JOOOOOOE!" Joe looks up in time to see a blur tackle him, knocking the breath out of him on impact, rolling along the ground, then up in the air as the person gives him a tight hug of death. "HEEEEEEEEEEEY MAN!"

"..." Joe only knew one person who always greeted him like this, no matter what it was. "I...can't...BREATHE..."

"Sorry." They put him down, allowing Joe to suck in some air, then look up at the person, a tall man who was twenty-one, with dark grey hair in spikes with deep blue goggles, and deep blue eyes like sapphires. He wore a dark grey leather coat with a grey v-neck shirt with light grey around the collar, and dark grey cargo pants with grey boots.

"Hey Red." Joe says.

"RED?!" Everyone looks to see Xavia standing there, shock on her face. "RED RANGER?! The guy who saved the world from a monster-alien-tadpole-thing when he was ten?!"

"YES!" Red says proudly.

"..." Xavia stands there, then darts over, hugging his leg. "You're SO COOL..." Red laughs.

"And you're the most adorable little girl one the face of this planet!" He says, patting her head. Rather than objecting like Joe had expected, Xavia looks up at him, and tugs at the end of his shirt with both hands, making him smile and pick her up.

"Well, supper's ready and-"

"YOU!" Red suddenly says, covering the distance of about fifty feet in an instant, pointing right at Sarisa, his index finger about a fraction of an inch away from her nose.

"...Yes...sir?" Sarisa asks.

"Your name is Sarisa, yes?" Red asks.

"..." Sarisa just nods.

"It's great to meet ya!" Red says, putting Xavia down and shaking Sarisa's hand. "Joe writes me a letter every month, so don't worry about me knowing your name."

"Oh...Okay." Sarisa says, smiling. Red then suddenly hugs her.

"You're adorable..." He says. "Joe!" Red says, getting back over to Joe in an instant, leaving Sarisa dazed and pointing his index finger right in Joe's face.

"...Yes sir?" Joe asks.

"Why didn't you tell me she was adorable?!" Red demands. "You told me she was cute, but-"

"RED!" Joe yells, practically stuffing his fist into Red's mouth. "WE CAN TALK 'BOUT THAT _AFTER_ SUPPER, ALRIGHT?" Joe asks between grit teeth. Red gives him a thumbs up, allowing Joe to take his hand off of Red's mouth.

After supper...

"You're keeping your horses in very good health." Red says, stroking one of the horses in the barn while Xavia sat on it.

"Yep." Joe says, smiling while Sarisa stood petting the horse as well.

"OH! And..." Red starts. He then grabs Joe by his shoulders. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME SARISA WAS SO ADORABLE?!"

"Uh! Red can we-"

"I mean REALLY!" Red yells. "You told me you thought she was the cutest thing on the face of all the universe, known and unknown, but-"

"_**RED!" **_Joe yells, practically stuffing his fist in Red's mouth again.

"...You...what?" Sarisa asks. Joe stiffens, his face turning dark red as he realizes Sarisa just heard all of what Red said.

"I-I..." Joe stammers, racking his mind for what to say. Red then pulls Joe's hand away from his mouth, spinning him around and pinning him to the wall, arm pinned to his back.

"Now Joe," Red starts, a civilized tone in his voice. "you know very well that it's very rude to interrupt someone when they're speaking. AND YOU DIDN'T ANSWER MY QUESTION!"

"TALK MORE!" Xavia squeals. "It's funny to see Joe suffer!"

"HEY! Hold on'a-"

"WELL, since you insist!" Red says, practically knocking Joe to the floor as he whirls around. "Joe also said in the letter that you were the smartest person that he had ever met, as well as the kindest and most lovable person in all the known and unknown universe!" Red tells Sarisa, her blush deeper.

"RED!" Joe yells, jumping up and planning to knock him out, only have Red double over right as Joe runs at him, making Joe fly right over Red, and land on the wooden barn floor.

"AND!" Red continues. "He also said that he wished that he could get lost in your eyes for all eternity as well as hold you in his arms!"

_**"REEEEEED!" **_Joe roars, successfully tackling the six foot six inch tall adult, his head under Joe's arm.

"And! He said that-"

"DON'T YA THINK YA'VE SAID ENOUGH?!" Joe yells, proceeding to give Red a super noogie with one hand while his face was dark red.

"On the contrary!...OW..." Red says. He then grabs Joe by the arm Joe had his head under, then uses his other hand to grab Joe by his belt, throwing Joe off of him, allowing the eighteen year old to land in a haystack. "As I was saying, Joe said that he basically just wanted you to be happy and safe!"

"..." Sarisa says nothing, but stands there with a deep blush on her face, Xavia sitting on the horse smiling, and Joe now trying to bury himself in the hay stack, wanting to hide.

"NOW JOE," Red says, grabbing the embarrassed cowboy by the collar and yanking him out, holding him a foot above the ground. "Don't be such a _shy guy_!"

"THERE AIN'T NOTHIN' TA BE SHY ABOUT!" Joe yells, Red dropping him to the floor.

"Is there?" Red asks, giving Joe the Spanish Inquisition.

"NO!" Joe yells.

"You KNOW you always yell when you're in denial." Red tells him.

"I DO NOT!"

"Do too."

"DO NOT!"

"Now I understand why Holt had so much fun teasing me about liking Rosie." Red says, oddly smiling happily and fondly.

"WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH THIS?!

"I'm having fun teasing you about liking Sarisa!"

"I DO NOT LIKE HER!"

"..." Everyone is silent.

"..." _I jus' screwed up big time...didn't I?_ Joe thinks.

_ 'Yup.' _Ptera tells Joe.

"...Well...if..if that's how you feel..." Sarisa says, her voice distant and sad.

"S-Sarisa I-" Before he can finish, Sarisa runs out of the barn. _...DAGNABIT! _Joe mentally roars. Before he can stop himself, he dashes out, running after Sarisa.

A minute later...

Joe walks along, panting due to running, coming to a five foot decline in the earth, which at the bottom had fifteen more feet of flat ground, then a river. At its edge sat Sarisa, hugging her legs while her chin rested on her knees. Joe stands there for a second, watch her and mulling over what to say, then silently walks over, and sits down next to her.

"..." They both sit in silence.

"...I...I didn't mean what I said...'bout not likin' ya..." Joe says, his voice trailing off as his face heated up. Sarisa looks over at him some, her eyes peeking through her bangs, giving her a cute look that made Joe's face get warmer and quickly look at his feet.

"...R-really...?" Sarisa asks, making Joe look back at her some, to see her hands as dainty fists, one under her chin and the other on her jaw, only making her look even more adorable to Joe.

"Y-yeah..." Joe tells her, his face heating up more, yet him being unable to break eye contact. Sarisa blinks, then looks down at her feet.

"...W-well..."

"I mean, I really like ya!" Joe suddenly blurts, making Sarisa look at him, her eyes wide with surprise and shock. "...That's...just...what...I've wantin' ta tell ya..." Joe says, his voice dropping to a murmur. His face felt like it was hot embers in a fire, and he allowed the brim of his hat to cover his eyes.

"...I...uh..." Sarisa says, her voice small. "...Th-the...the feeling's mutual." Joe quickly looks up at her with surprise to she had the knuckles of one of her hands against the palm of the other, her fingers clasped together and the side of her hands against her collar bones while she looks down at her feet, a blush on her face. Joe suddenly feels the warmth in him, the nervousy settle in his stomach, his heart race and flutter, and that voice in his mind starting to nudge at him. He suddenly leans forward, making Sarisa look at him, her eyes peeking out from her bangs giving her that sweet, cute look that made Joe's heart race faster and his face get warmer. He puts his hands on the other side of her, Sarisa's torso between his arms, her hands having turned into small fists that rest on her collar bones, her eyes, which had widened a bit, looking into his with wonder, and Joe looking into her with a loving look.

"...I-I...I really like ya...a-a lot..." Joe stammers, his voice soft and quiet. Sarisa blinks, her blush getting deeper, and she looks down at her feet, a shy look on her face. Joe takes her hand in his left hand, which was the arm that had been in front of her, and presses his lips against her long, thin fingers. He then wraps his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him and kissing her hand again. He then looks back up at her, to see her still blushing with her other hand as a small fist on her collar bones. Joe takes her head in his left hand, Sarisa putting her hand over it. He suddenly feels his heart being tugged at, the nudging in his mind now a hard shoving, he starts to lean in towards Sarisa some, Sarisa doing the same, and-

"ONEE-CHAN!" They both look just in time to see Xavia's right heel make contact with Joe's chest, knocking him back away from Sarisa. "I told you to make sure you two just stayed friends!" She then turns to Sarisa, taking her hands. "Are you okay Onee-chan? He didn't hurt you, right?"

"..." Sarisa blinks, then smiles. "You're so cute." She tells Xavia, hugging the small child.

"Sure, thanks fer asking if I was okay." Joe says, pushing himself up, his chest hurting from the impact of the hard boot.

Later...

Everyone sat in the living room, Mr. Eastward and Pa playing chess, Sarisa and Xavia were talking about some scientific stuff Joe couldn't understand one bit, while Parker sat and listened, nodding like he understood, Jack sat on the sofa staring at the ceiling, and Ma and Mrs. Eastward talked, while Red sat cross legged next to Parker, listen to Xavia's and Sarisa's scientific discussion with inhuman, intense concentration. Joe sat like Jack, sitting on the sofa with his head back, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Joe really is a nice boy, helping Sarisa all the times he has." Mrs. Eastward says. "And such a handsome boy too."

"Ah, you should've seen the boys when they were little! They were just so adorable you just wanted to hug and love 'em!" Ma says.

Joe and his brother's faces both get looks of horror on them, and they slowly look at each other.

They knew right where the conversation was going.

"Really?" Mrs. Eastward asks.

"Oh yes!" Ma says. "I got a photo album full of-"

"HEY MA!" Jack suddenly blurts, jumping up from the couch in a bit of a cartoonish way, while Joe jumped up as well. They didn't need to say who did what; they had already planned for when Ma was going to get the scrap book out a few years back.

"Yes Jack?" Ma asks, holding the book in her hands.

"I just remembered something about one of the plants in the garden, and it's really important, so I thought you might want to take a look at it! NOW!" Jack tells her, seizing the book from her hands, then throwing it over him to allow Joe to catch it like a football player catches a football in mid-air, then dart out of the house right as Ma remembered that they always did this whenever she got the photo book out, and Jack running after Joe, both of them seeking shelter in the barn.

"What do we do?!" Joe asks, about to go into complete and utter panic, not wanting Sarisa to see any of the pictures.

"Let's just destroy it!" Jack says, panicking as well.

"ARE YA CRAZY?!" Joe yells. "MA'LL SKIN US ALIVE IF WE DID THAT!"

"THE WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST WE DO?!"

"I DUNNO! HIDE IT A HAYSTACK?!"

"..." Neither of them say anything.

"START DIGGING!" Jack yells, diving into the a hay stack and moving all of the hay to get to the very back and bottom.

"Okay!" Joe says, helping him. "At least this way she won't-"

"**JACKSON ANDREW AND JOSEPH NICODEMUS WILDWEST, YOU TWO GET YOUR REARS BACK IN HOUSE!**" Ma yells, Jack and Joe freezing with looks of terror on their faces, Joe holding the photo album in his hands, both of them starting to shake some. _"__**NOW!**__" _

A second later, Joe and his older brother found themselves on the porch of the house, gasping and panting for breath while their mother stood in front of them, the scrapbook under her arm.

A few minutes (of Ma's yelling and scolding) later...

Joe, Jack, and Ma all enter the house, Joe and his brother shaken, while Ma just smiled cheerfully.

"Even the great Joe Wildwest still fears his mother!" Red says, jumping to his feet in an instant, his feet planted firmly shoulder width apart, one hand on his hip and the other pointing up into the air.

"YEAH!" Xavia says, doing the same.

_Please tell me he ain't rubbin' off on 'er. _Joe thinks miserably, the same look of his face.

"Now that that's settled..." Ma says, going back over to Mrs. Eastward and opening the book.

Much to the brothers distraught, everyone else in the room crowds around as well.

A few minutes later...

"And this is Joe in the first grade." Ma says, all of them STILL looking through the photo book, while Joe and Jack sat in the corner of the room, their back to everyone, curled up into a ball and pulling their cowboy hats down as far as they could to hide themselves, wishing for something to kill them.

"Mrs. Wildwest?" Xavia asks. "Why are Mr. Joe and Mr. Jack making the corner have an emo personality?"

"..." Everyone just looks at the corner the two young men are in, to see that it did look just like that.

"Ah, they're upset because I'm showing everyone pictures of when they were little!" Ma says.

"But...there's nothing to be embarrassed about." Red says. "After all, my mother was obsessed with taking pictures of me when I was little just 'cause she thought I was so adorable."

"Really?" Mr. Eastward asks, slight surprise in his voice.

"Yes sir." Red tells him.

"..." Joe and Jack just continue to sit there.

"Well, Joe probably had it off worse since he had a nickname." Jack says, looking over his shoulder at everyone and pushing his hat up, only to suddenly have himself find Joe's fist in his mouth.

"I YA TELL 'EM MAH NICKNAME YER GONNA REGRET IT!" Joe yells, making his brother's face go pale.

A few more minutes later...

"Nii-san!" Xavia says, tugging at Red's leather jacket. Joe sat on the back steps, watching as Red and Xavia ran around like maniacs, Sarisa and Parker watching as well.

"Yep." Parker says as Red and Xavia run around more. "She's really starting to like Red."

"How so?" Joe asks.

"In our family, it's honorable to call family members by their names." Parker starts. "But, with very close friends outside of the family, we call them other honorific titles like how Xavia calls Sarisa 'onee-chan' and Red 'nii-san'."

"Ah..." Joe says, understanding. They sit and watch Red and Xavia chase each other around like madmen, Xavia squealing with an adorable laughter that made Joe smile. After a bit, the two fall asleep, Xavia using Red's rib cage as a pillow.

"That's cute." Sarisa says, smiling. Parker smiles as well, then goes over, picking up Xavia, who wakes up, groggy.

"Come Xavia. It's time to go home." Parker tells his black haired little sister, who nods, still half asleep. She then looks at Sarisa, holding her arms out to her, making Sarisa go over, and hug her.

"Bye-bye onee-chan." Xavia says, hugging Sarisa.

"Goodbye Xavia." Sarisa says, hugging her lovingly. "Be good, okay?"

"Yes ma'am." Xavia tells her. Sarisa kisses her forehead, handing her back to Parker. "Bye-bye nii-san."

"WHA?" Red says, getting to his feet and waking up in an instant. "AW, you're leaving?!"

"Parker said so." Xavia tells him, making Red just frown more. He then holds his arms out, taking Xavia and hugging her.

"It so nice to meet you..." He tells her sadly.

"You'll perk up, I know you will." Xavia tells him.

"How true!" Red says, perking up, then handing Xavia back to Parker. "But really, it was nice to meet you. Have a safe trip home."

"You too." Parker tells him.

"Bye onee-chan! Bye nii-san! Bye Joey!" Xavia calls, waving as Parker walks around the house to his car.

"..." Joe says nothing, but his lower right eye lid twitches. "HOW IN TARNATION DID SHE KNOW MAH CHILDHOOD NICKNAME?!"

"How else Joey?" Red asks, teasing. "She guessed."

"..." Joe just hangs his head.

AND WHERE WERE SAM AND PABLO DURING ALL THIS YOU MAY ASK?

"Alright!" Pablo says, hopping in the passenger side of Sam's truck, shutting the door and buckling up as Sam did the same.

"This is a good fishing spot." Sam says, starting up the truck and driving down a worn road, back towards town.

"Sí!" Pablo says, agreeing. "Papa will be pleased with all of the fish I caught!" Sam just smiles. As they ride back, Pablo jabbers on, Sam just acting like he was listening.

After a bit...

"...So, the battery's dead?" Pablo asks. Sam straightens, the hood of his blue pickup truck up, and wiping some grease from his hands.

"Yep." Sam tells him, nodding.

"Oi..." Pablo says, sitting cross legged on a rock. "What do we do?"

"Well..." Sam leans on the truck, thinking, when they suddenly hear another car coming. They both look to see a sheriff's car coming, Pablo waving his hands in the air, wanting it to stop. It slows, pulling over next to them and the man on the passenger side rolling the window down.

"What's th' problem, boys?" The man, having brown hair blue eyes, asks.

"Battery's dead." Sam tells him, nodding into the engine of the truck.

Later...

"So...Officer Benjamin will stay with Sam while we head into town?" Pablo asks, sitting in the back seat of the cop car while the other two police officers sat up front.

"That's correct." The one in the passenger seat, Officer Smith, tells Pablo. After they helped charge the battery, there was something else wrong with the truck so Sam and Officer Benjamin had stayed to work on it while the other two officers and Pablo would head into town in case they needed a tow truck.

"...I'm never been in a cop car before." Pablo says, looking around the back seat.

"That's good." The Officer driving, Jeff, says. The radio suddenly buzzes to life, Smith picking up, answering, then putting it back after another message.

"What's...going on?" Pablo asks.

"Some officers nearby just found some guys guilty of bank robbery, and they need to split 'em up." Smith tells Pablo as Jeff turns on the sirens, the cop car going faster. After a bit, the car pulls onto a different road, and after a bit longer, it stops outside a single house with another cop car outside of it, three men hand cuffed and Police officers watching them.

"Stay here, and if things get ugly, make a run for it, okay son?" Jeff tells Pablo, twisting around to look at him.

"Sí, oficial."* Pablo says, nodding. Jeff nods, he and Smith get out, go over to the other officers, and talk to them for a moment. Jeff and Smith exchange a quick conversation, looking like they were trying to think of something. Jeff then goes over to the car, going around to open the door to the side Pablo was sitting on.

"Pablo, I need a favor." He tells Pablo.

"Sí, oficial." Pablo tells him. "What do you want me to do?"

A second later...

"Have you ever heard of Hosea Ladrón?"* Smith asks one of the robbers, a thick man with dark tan skin, a sleeveless black shirt, black cut off gloves that come to his elbows, baggy blue jeans, and thick black boots, his hands held behind him by the handcuffs.

"Heard of _WHO?" _The robber asks.

"Very dangerous criminal." Jeff tells the robber. "He alone robber thirty-six banks, resulting in him having over a quarter of a million. Now, if this guy comes at your throat or lays his hands on you, you just yell."

"Hosea!" Smith says, opening the door to the back seat. "You TOUCH this guy and we WILL put you under the jail, GO IT?"

"Whoa! Hold on!" The robber says, trying to get away from the car. "I'm not getting in there with him!"

"Don't talk to him, don't look at him, don't acknowledge him and he won't hurt you." Jeff says, forcing the criminal into the car.

"HOLD ON!" The robber says, trying to get out.

"We WILL protect you!" Smith says, shutting the car door, the robber in the back, who, out of the corner of his nervous eyes, looks at "Hosea" aka, Pablo, who had rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, rubbed some dirt on himself, and sat hunched some, one of his eyes squinted some to give him a bit of an intimidating look. The robber shifts uncomfortably some, getting as far from Pablo as he could. Jeff and Smith get back in the front seats, Jeff starting up the car and driving back down to the road they were originally on to see Sam's truck driving along smoothly.

"...Estos oficiales me llevan de vuelta a mi casa."* Pablo says, speaking his native tongue and his voice smooth. "Mi amigo y yo estábamos pescando, y en el camino de vuelta, el camión se averió. Tengo otro amigo, pero él no vino con nosotros."*

"...What...is he saying?" The robber asks, unease in his voice as his eyes flicker over to Pablo's face, then back to the officers in the front.

"Just don't talk to him!" Smith says. The robber looks at Pablo again, worry in his eyes and he squirms uncomfortably some.

"Él está enamorado. Loco de amor. La chica es hermosa, con sol para el cabello, las esmeraldas por ojos y labios llenos."* Pablo continues, looking at the robber and his voice sharp and deadly.

"S-seriously!" The robber says, his voice full of worry and looking at the officers again then back at Pablo. "I think we wants to kill me..."

"If he wanted to, you'd be dead by now!" Jeff tells him.

"...Doesn't this guy terrify, THEN kill?" Smith asks.

"...Oh yeah." Jeff says. "Yeah, that's right." The robber's face turns pale, his eyes looking back at Pablo with fear.

"Se podría pensar que ella es un ángel, y ella es muy similar a uno también. Algún día, sin embargo..."* Pablo says, turning his head to look the robber right in the eye, making the robber shrink back some. "...Él le dirá..." Pablo says softly. He then gets a crazy, deranged look on his face. "entonces van a besar!"* He yells, his voice insane and maniacal.

"HE'S GOING TO KILL ME!" The robber yells, about to go into hysteria. Pablo shoots his hands out in front of him, to show hand cuffs around on wrist while the other was free. "HE'S FREE! MAN HE'S GONNA KILL ME! GET ME OUTTA HERE!" The robber yells, half scared to death and trying to kick the door off, while the officers up front started to laugh, Pablo continuing to scare to poor thief by poking his fingers to the man's neck and yelling in an evil, crazed voice:

" Me estoy divirtiendo!"*

After a bit...

Officer Smith opens the door, the robber jumping out and running as fast as his legs would allow in to the police building, the two officers still laughing and as Pablo got out, rolling his sleeves back down and laughing as well.

"Oh...Oh that was GOOD..." Smith laughs.

"I was surprised he didn't pee himself!" Pablo says, still laughing.

"What..what were you saying though?" Jeff asks, making Pablo stop.

"..." He stands for a second, his smile starting to disappear, making the two officers give him a confused look.

One explanation later...

Jeff, Smith and Pablo all stood laughing, Sam's truck coming up, he and the other officer getting out and coming over. After another explanation, the two join in on the laughing. After a bit, the officers thank Pablo for the help, he and Sam then getting in the truck and riding back towards their homes.

"I do not think there was ever anybody SO EAGER to get to jail." Pablo laughs.

"It sounds like you seriously hand him scared." Sam laughs as well.

"Sí..." Pablo chuckles.

"..." Sam's smile vanishes. "What happens when Joe finds out?"

"..." Pablo's disappears as well. "...I would say I'll buy the plane tickets, but he'd still find us."

* * *

**AN-DONE! And, since I know y'all are probably dying to know what Pablo said, here are the translations!**

**oficial=officer**

**Ladrón=robber**

**...Estos oficiales me llevan de vuelta a mi casa=...These officers are taking me back to my home**

**Mi amigo y yo estábamos pescando, y en el camino de vuelta, el camión se averió. Tengo otro amigo, pero él no vino con nosotros=** **My friend and I were fishing, and on the way back, the truck broke down. I have another friend, but he did not come with us**

**Él está enamorado. Loco de amor. La chica es hermosa, con sol para el cabello, las esmeraldas por ojos y labios llenos=** **He is in love. Madly in love. The girl is beautiful with sunshine for hair, emeralds for eyes, and full lips.**

**Se podría pensar que ella es un ángel, y ella es muy similar a uno también. Algún día, sin embargo...=** **You would think she is an angel, and she is much like one as well. Some day though...**

**...Él le dirá...=...He will tell her...**

**entonces van a besar!=** **then they will kiss!**

**Me estoy divirtiendo!=** **I'm having fun!**

**So, all together, this is what Pablo told the robber in Spanish:**

**These officers are taking me back to my home. My friend and I were fishing, and on the way back, the truck broke down. I have another friend, but he did not come with us. He is in love. Madly in love. The girl is beautiful with sunshine for hair, emeralds for eyes, and full lips...You would think she is an angel, and she is much like one as well. Some day though...He will tell her...then they will kiss!**

**XD Ah, typical Pablo...**

**Gunsandgames: Of course he is! Icy Metal and Frost Blue Roses agrees with me!**

**Tabithia6000: Thank yew~! :D**

**1T1S1T: Yup~!**

**Chi-San: YES! I always imagine Joe's reaction manga style, and they ALWAYS MAKE ME LAUGH! XD**

**mysterydude123: Ah...okay. AND YES! LONG LIVE ART!**

**Icy Metal and Frost Blue Roses: Was this good? :3 AND UPDATE YOUR STORY! I loves it so much... T-T**

**sachel: That will happen when tha time comes. :)**

**Charzard0312: He so wishes it. XD**

**Joe: I DO NOT!**

**Magma: OH YEAH? WHAT ABOUT THIS?!:**

_ 'Joe and Sarisa, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.' _Ptera tells Joe.

_'PTERA!' _Joe yells at him, embarrassed by his remark.

_'Oh come on, YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO...' _Ptera tells him.

_'...So?' _Joe asks.

**Magma: Remember that Joseph?**

**Joe: *sitting in corner with misery***

**Magma:...Well then.**

**Ptera: If you want to see more Joe torment, leave a review!**

**Joe: PTERA! Don't inspire 'em!**

**Magma: TOO LATE!**

**Red: It's too late, It's too soon, It's too late, It's tick, tick, tick, BOOM.**

**Joe:...When did you get here?**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN-Ah, not sure what to put here other than I do not own FFC, which is where Joe and his vivos are from, so let's get on with it!**

* * *

Chapter Eleven-A Stressful Day

THE NEXT DAY...

Joe enters his class, sitting at the station he and Sarisa were assigned to, she already sitting at it.

"..." They both sit in silence, the only noise the chatter of their classmates around them.

"...So...your school has a dance just for the seniors?" Sarisa asks, breaking the awkward silence between them.

"Uh...yeah." Joe says, both of them sit looking down at the counter in front of them. "It's fer them ta celebrate graduatin'. It's this Friday night."

"The same day that we graduate?" Sarisa asks, looking at him, making Joe tense, seeing her emerald eyes out of the corner of his light blue ones.

"Y-yeah..." He says.

"Ah..." She says, then looking back at the counter. They sit in the silence, only to have it broken by the bell and Mr. Khem coming into the classroom, shutting the door.

"Good morning class!" He says, smiling. "Now, today..." He starts reviewing different things they learned, whether it be from science, history, English, or math.

After a bit...

Joe sits there, completely spaced out and watching Sarisa out of the corner of his eye, thinking only of her. She sat with her back straight, attentive.

_It's hard ta imagine she's th' same age as me... _Joe thinks. _She looks eighteen wit' 'er height, but she almos' reminds me of someone who's-_

"JOE!"

"FOURTEEN!" Joe yells, falling out of his stool.

"Why, that's the correct answer Joe!" Mr. Khem says, happy. "Dividing 126 by 9 will give you correct answer: X=14! Good job!"

"..." Joe sits there for a second. _...Right...I meant ta do that._

_ 'SUUUUUURE you did.' _Ptera says, rolling his eye.

_'Oh, shut up.' _Joe tells him, getting back into his seat.

LATER...

Joe walks down the hallway, heading back to the classroom after taking something the front office for Mr. Khem. The hallway was silent and deserted, his footsteps muffled echoes.

"Hey." Joe stops as Pine, Wolf, and Shay suddenly dart in front of him from around a corner, making a wall. Joe knew what they were thinking of doing, and he knew he couldn't take all three of them, so he instead keeps a poker face, looking at all of them.

"Yeah?" Joe asks, his voice blank.

"Since you keep trying to keep Sarisa from us, we're gonna have to teach you a lesson." Wolf says.

"...Well, in that case..." Joe starts. He then rams right into Shay, who had been in the middle, aka, right in front of him, Joe's shoulder hitting the other boy's stomach, causing Shay to fall down, and allowing Joe to make a break for it, running as fast as he could, being able to hear the triplets coming after him. He runs around a corner, spotting a bathroom, then running into it, hoping the triplets didn't see him.

_'Aw, you could've let V-Raptor after them!' _Ptera says.

_'I don't need ta get in that kinda trouble.' _Joe says, leaning against the wall. _'...Then again, they'd just run off scared outta their skins, so-'_

"GEEEEYAAAAA!" Someone suddenly screams, making Joe jump and yell with surprise as well, looking to see Sarisa had just come out of one of the stalls. "WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

"What're YOU doin' here?!" Joe asks, his face heating up.

"This is the girls restroom!" Sarisa says, obviously confused.

"..." Joe stands there, then realizes that she had to be right due to the fact she walked here no doubt while Joe had been running.

He then smacks his forehead as hard as possible, then burying his face in his hands.

"Who's ever in charge up there, please take me now." Joe says, his voice holding nothing but misery and embarrassment.

_'Tsk, tsk, tsk.' _Ptera says, mentally shaking his head. _'Joe, and you said __**I**__ was the pervert!' _

_**'PTEEEEEEEERAAAAAAAAAAAAA!'**_ Joe roars, mentally strangling the vivosaur.

"Why...did you run in here though?" Sarisa asks.

"..." Joe looks at her between the fingers that covered his solid red face, then looks back down at the ground, still having his hands over his face. "Th' Robertson Triplets tried ta start'a fight, so I went runnin' and tried ta hide."

"Ah..." Sarisa says, understanding.

"L-look!" Joe says suddenly, his face red with embarrassment. "I-I'm real sorry 'bout walkin' in here! I-" He and Sarisa suddenly hear footsteps outside the door, making Joe run into a stall that had an 'OUT OF ORDER' sign on it, shutting and locking the stall door, then having to perch on the toilet so no one would see his feet. His hands braced the walls on either side of him for balance, he hears an exchange of "hi's" from Sarisa and the other girl that just came in, then the shut of a stall door.

After a few minutes.

_'PLEASE KILL ME NOW, PLEASE KILL ME NOW, PLEASE KILL ME KNOW, PLEASE KILL ME KNOW.' _Joe thinks repeatedly, still trapped in the stall due to the fact that eve MORE girls had come in, each one that left replaced by two more or so.

_'Ah...I'm enj-'_

_ '__**PTERA YA PERVERTED LITTLE DINOSAUR!**__'_ Joe roars, mentally strangling Ptera.

_'Not THAT!' _Ptera says. _'I mean you being miserable!'_

_ '...' _Joe says and does nothing. _'...PLEASE KILL ME.'_

After a bit...

Joe practically runs down the hallway, the last girl having finally left the bathroom, allowing him to make a break for it. He was so happy with his new freedom, he just thought that he was going to cry with sheer glee.

_'I'M FREE!' _He thinks, imagining the hallway was a wide open field that he was running through.

After school...

Joe sits down on the steps in front of the school, relived that he made it through the day.

"Hey Joe." He looks up to see Sarisa sit down next to him, two feet of space between them.

"Hey..." Joe says, sitting up straighter. "Uh...Could ya do me a favor?"

"Don't worry." Sarisa tells him, smiling. "I won't tell a soul."

"Thanks." Joe sighs, relieved. "Ah...ya wanna ride home on Ptera?"

"Ah! That would be nice, thank you." Sarisa tells him. Joe lets Ptera out, allowing him and Sarisa onto the Pterosaur, flying off to where Sarisa and her parents were staying. The vivosaur lands outside the house, Joe hops off Ptera, then turns and helps Sarisa off.

"Thanks Joe!" Sarisa tells him, smiling. Joe smiles some, then watches her as she walks up the steps, to the door, his eyes watching her braid, which swished back and forth slightly as she walked.

"Uh...Sarisa?" Joe asks, taking a single step forward.

"Yeah?" Sarisa asks, looking back at him.

"Ah...I'd...like ta talk to yer pa 'bout somethin'..." Joe says, looking at the ground and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Alright." Sarisa tells him. "I'll get him!" She heads into the house, Ptera going into his medal which Joe catches, then putting into his inside coat pocket.

"You wanted to talk to me?" Joe looks up to see Mr. Eastward standing there on the porch, holding his cane in one hand.

"Uhm...Yes sir." Joe says, going up the steps to the porch. "I...wanted ta ask ya somethin'..."

"Alright." Mr. Eastward says, nodding, then sitting down in one of the rocking chairs. "But sit down. I'd like to ask you a question too."

"Yes sir." Joe says, sitting down in the other rocking chair next to him, Joe's hands on his knees and sitting up straight.

"Now," Mr. Eastward looks at Joe. "what were you going to ask me?"

"..." Joe sits there a second, then looks down at the floor in front of his feet. "...I was wonderin' if it'd be okay with ya if...w-well..." He grips his knees, unable to find the words.

"Well?" Mr. Eastward asks, raising his eyebrows.

"..." Joe sits there, starting to get tense, his grip on his knees getting tighter. _Jus' spit it out! _"I was wonderin' if it'd be alright if I...asked...Sarisa to...go...to th'...senior...dance...with...me..." Joe says, his voice trailing off.

"...Is that all?" Mr. Eastward asks. Joe nods, his face warm and still tense. Mr. Eastward just nods, sitting back in his chair. "Why did you ask me that?"

"...Well...yer 'er pa." Joe tells him. "I know that ya jus' want what's best fer 'er and fer her ta be happy, and I thought it would be rude to ask her without yer permission first." Joe looks back at the man, to see him staring straight forward. "I...jus' wanted yer approval."

"...I see." Mr. Eastward says, nodding. He sits silent for a minute, only adding to Joe's nervousy. "Well." He looks back at Joe. "Then I have one more question."

"Yes sir?" Joe asks. Mr. Eastward sits forward, his hands on the top of his cane.

"Why do you love Sarisa?"

"SIR?!" Joe asks, so shocked that he jumps out of the chair, only to succeed in tripping and falling on his back. Mr. Eastward laughs, making Joe quickly scramble to his feet. "Uhm...I...Sir?!"

"I wasn't expecting that reaction, but it was still humorous." Mr. Eastward chuckles, amused. "But you heard my question." He looks back at Joe. "Why do you love Sarisa?"

"..." Joe feels his face turn red at the question, making him look down at his feet. "I...!" Joe looks away, at the front yard. "How...? How could ya tell?"

"The look in your eye." Mr. Eastward says simply. "When you were helping her off your vivosaur just now, you just had that look in your eyes."

"..." Joe says nothing, but feels his face heat up more. "...She...She's jus' different from everyone else...Like...light jus' emits from her, an' she light up th' world an' spreads color...It's...kinda hard ta explain..." Joe tells him, his face getting a bit warmer still.

"Mm-hm..." Mr. Eastward hums, nodding. "...Very well."

"...Sir?" Joe asks, looking up at the man some, to see him smiling at Joe.

"You have my permission to ask Sarisa." Mr. Eastward tells Joe, making Joe face light up with a huge smile.

"Thank ya Mr. Eastward!" Joe tells him, grateful.

"You're welcome." Mr. Eastward tells him, still smiling. Joe then suddenly notices a silver ring on the cane, about three inches below the handle.

"Ah...pardon th' sudden question, but...why's that ring on yer cane?" He asks, making Mr. Eastward look at it.

"Oh." He says. He then does something to it, making it unlatch, then pulls on the handle of the cane, making a long blade come out of the cane, causing Joe's eyes to widen in amazement. "It's not just good for hitting someone on the head with."

"..." Joe blinks, still amazed. "...So it's practically gotta sword in it?"

"That's right." Mr. Eastward says, sheathing the knife and clasping the ring back.

Later...

Joe walks into his house, shutting the door behind him.

"I'm home!" He calls.

"Hey Joe."

"..." The said teen stands there a second, then hitting his head against the door. "Hey cuz."

"Why you so down, uh-hunh?" Joe just looks at his cousin, a twenty year old with black hair and side burns, the hair done into a spike that stuck out over his forehead, a gold colored trench coat, a white shirt with ruffles on the chest, black pants, black shoes, and a brown belt.

"Why ya here, Billy?" Joe asks, hitting his head against the door again.

"Ah, jus' thought I'd come by for a visit." He says, shrugging.

"And I just think I'll go fer a-" He opens the door, only to walk right into another person.

"Ah! Sorry!" They tell him, Joe recognizing the voice.

"SARISA?!" Joe exclaims, jumping back, allowing him to see her standing there, holding a brown leather square object in her hand.

"Sorry...but..." She holds the object out to him, which turned out to be a wallet. "Pa said this fell out of your pocket, so I brought it to you."

"Oh...uh...th-thanks." Joe stammers, accepting the wallet which he then puts back into his pocket.

"You're welcome." Sarisa tells him, smiling some.

"WELL, cousin Joe." Billy says, his elbow on Joe's shoulder.

_Please kill me now. _Joe thinks, knowing right where this was going.

"Who's this?" Billy asks, smiling.

"She's a friend of mine." Joe tells his cousin between grit teeth, trying not to punch him.

"Aw, c'mon." Billy says, his tone playful. "Someone as cute as this?"

"YES!" Joe yells, looking at his cousin, who jumps back, knowing Joe could beat him in a fight. "...Like I said, I'm goin' fer a walk!" He steps out onto the porch, then looks back at Sarisa, who had an unsure of how to react look on her face. "...Er...th-thanks fer r-returnin' mah wallet." Joe tells her, then hurrying past her.

"Ah...okay." Sarisa says, making Joe look back at her. "I'll see you at school tomorrow!" She then goes down the steps, going back over to a small evergreen car, gets in the driver's side, then starting up the car. Joe waves, turns, then starts walking off.

_Ah, I'm an idiot. _He thinks, mentally kicking himself. _I could've asked 'er then! I could'a done SOMETHIN', but nooo...I had ta go an' not do a thing. _He keeps walking, and eventually come to the river, then turns and follows it down stream, eventually coming to a point where the slope rose to where it fell at a ninety degree angle. After a few feet, he turns, looking into a small cave. It was about fifteen feet long and fifteen feet wide, and five feet tall. The opening was about four feet in diameter, causing Joe to duck down to enter it. Sam, Pablo and him had played in there several times as kids, and the still occasionally came out to it just for old times' sake, or when trying to hide from angry parents.

He walks over to one of the smooth walls, sitting down with his legs stretched out in front of him.

_How in tarnation am I gonna ask 'er? _He wonders, staring at the top of the cave with a blank look on his face.

"Joe?"

"GEYAAA!" Joe yells, jumping to his feet, only to succeed in hitting his head on the low ceiling, causing him to crouch down, his hand on the back of his head.

"Ah! I'm sorry!" Sarisa says, hurrying over, forced to bend over from her height of five feet ten inches, then crouching next to Joe. "I'm sorry! Are you alright?"

"Uhm..." Joe racks his mind for words, only to find none as his face heats up, due to Sarisa's hands over his on the back of his head.

"Here, lemme see it." She tells him, Joe trying to keep his hands over where he hit his head, and his eyes looking at the ground between his knees. He shirks back, suddenly shy. "Joe!" Sarisa says, on her knees, her hands still over his. "I need to make sure you didn't get a knot on your head!"

"I-I'm okay!" Joe tells her, scrambling back some, still unable to get her hands off of his. Sarisa then suddenly pulls Joe forward, stepping to the side making him pass her, allowing Sarisa to wrench his hands from his head, she being able to look at where he hit his head.

"Now keep your hands down." Sarisa tells Joe, releasing his hands, allowing Joe to grip the middle of his lower leg while he sat with his legs crossed. His face grows warm as Sarisa feels the spot on his head, her fingers going through his thick, dark strawberry blonde locks of hair. They were thin and gentle, bringing a soothing feeling to the pain where his head hit, making it quickly leave. He found himself steadily increasing the strength of his grip in his legs, his shoulders hunching more, his face continuing to grow warmer, and his heart pounding harder. "Well, it looks and feels alright, so I believe you should be fine." Sarisa tells Joe, her hands leaving the back of his head as she puts them on her knees. "But if your head still hurts, I could get you to the hospital or something."

"...I-I-It don't hurt..." Joe tells her, struggling to keep his voice even.

"You sure?" Sarisa asks, getting next to him, Joe just quickly nodding in response. They sit in silence for a moment, Sarisa then wrapping her arms around his neck, hugging him and making Joe blush more. "That's good."

"...Ah, uhm..." Joe feels Sarisa hug him tighter, Sarisa resting her head on top of his and Joe's foot starting to twitch. He felt like something was coming up into his throat; something that just wanted to be shouted out. "...S...S...Sarisa?"

"Yeah?" Sarisa asks.

"..." Joe could feel his heart pounding, the sound thudding in his ears. "...I..." He suddenly sits up, then whirling around to look at her. "I was wonderin' if ya'd wanna hang out after school tamorrow!"

"..." Sarisa blinks, looking Joe in the eye, making Joe look down at the floor to hide his red face.

"Well...okay." She tells him. "Where should I meet up with you, Sam and-"

"Just us!" Joe blurts, looking up at her. "...J-jus'...you an' me..."

"..." Sarisa's face gets a light blush and her eyes widen some, making Joe look back at the ground again, having to fight down whatever it was trying to make him yell it out. "...I-I'd love to." Sarisa tells him, making Joe look up at her, to see her awkwardly smiling, Joe then suddenly hugging her. She says nothing, but relaxes, letting Joe hold her.

"...So...I'll see ya after school tomorrow?"

"Hm-mm." She tells him, her head nodding, it resting on his chest. Joe smiles, hugging her tighter.

THE NEXT DAY...

Joe shivers, pulling his coat around him tighter.

_'It's always th' coldest mornin'a May when we do this...' _He tells Ptera. He wore a white t-shirt, red jacket with two white stripes going down the sleeves, black pants white two white stripes going down the pants legs, and white shoes, just like all the other seniors around him. Every year, the school had the students have to do a mile run, in which they had to get up at dawn and come to school, change into their gym clothes, and then wait till the coach gave them the signal to start.

"Ugh...Why can't we do this before spring break?" Pablo asks, yawning, while Sam had his forehead on Pablo's shoulder, sleeping while he stood up.

"I dunno..." Joe tells him, sleepy as well. Turning, he looks around the crowd of half-asleep students, then spotting what he had been looking for: a red baseball cap that had golden hair coming from under it.

"Good morning!" Sarisa says, walking over, bright-eyed and wide awake.

"How are you awake at this time of the morning?" Pablo asks.

"I'm a morning person!" Sarisa tells him. She wore the same gym clothing, only she had on shorts that stopped at the midpoint of her upper legs. They were long, smooth, and slender; strong-looking legs. Joe quickly looks away, heat rising to his face.

_'What's wrong?' _Ptera asks. _'Back before the War of Oppression, men looked at a woman's legs all the time.'_

_ 'So?!' _Joe asks. _'That don't give ME an excuse ta do that!'_

_ 'Alright, alright. Sheesh.' _Ptera tells him. _'But, have you told Sam and Pablo that you asked her out?'_

_ 'IT AIN'T A DATE!' _Joe yells, getting mad. _'We're just gonna hang out!'_

_ 'Suuuuuuure...'_

_ 'Oh, shut up.'_

"Okay! Get ready!" The coach yells, making the students get along, or near, the starting line. The coach fires a blank, making the students take off. The quartet of friends ran alongside each other, Sam half asleep, Sarisa smiling pleasantly, while Joe and Pablo had blank looks on their faces.

_'Well, either way, the past twenty-four hours have been kinda stressful, eh lover boy?' _Ptera asks.

_'DON'T CALL ME THAT!' _Joe yells, but still acknowledging the fact the past twenty-four hours had been a handful.

* * *

**AN-FINALLY...**

**mysterydude123: Well, that's good to hear. :D**

**1T1S1T: Actually, only Red was supposed to come in, but then I felt like I had to put Xavia in there. XD**

**Icy Metal and Frost Blue Roses: ...I think you're a bit TOO enthusiastic...I LOVE IT! :D :D :D**

**Gunsandgames: I figured this would be a fun chapter to write. XD**

**Tabithia6000: YAY! :D**

**Ptera: Whelp, next chapter Joe and Sarisa go on that date!**

**Joe: IT AIN'T A DATE! **

**Magma: Only in your opinion, Joey. Only in your opinion.**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN-Alrighty! So, since I was unable to get the motivation to write a Valentine's one-shot (or two-shot) I'll post this chapa instead, the long awaited chapa with Joe and Sarisa's date! :D**

**Joe: IT AIN'T A DATE!**

**Ptera: Says who?**

**Joe: SAYS ME!**

**Ptera: Say you?**

**Joe: Yes me!**

**Ptera: Couldn't be!**

**Magma: Then who?**

**Joe: -_-**

* * *

Chapter Twelve - Hanging Out

Joe sat at his assigned station, tired from the run they had to do earlier, and from the nervousy that had been growing in him since yesterday.

_It's not a date. It's not a date. It's not a date. It's not a date. It's not a date. It's not a date. It's not a date. _He tells himself over and over.

_'Nervous lover boy?' _Ptera asks.

_'DON'T CALL ME THAT!' _Joe roars.

_'But you are nervous.' _

_'...Yeah.'_

_ 'Then write it on a sheet of paper. That'll make you feel better.'_

After a moment of consideration, Joe opens his note book to a blank sheet, and starts writing. About halfway down the page, he quickly shuts it and puts it away, Sarisa having come into the classroom.

Later...

Joe sat under a tree, writing in the notebook. It was lunch time, he had finished eating, so he went over to a tree and continued to write on the paper, looking up every now and then at the table where Sam, Pablo and Sarisa still sat, eating. In the sunlight, Sarisa's hair shone an even more beautiful golden color that made Joe's heart start to race. Sarisa then turns her head, she and Joe making eye contact for a nanosecond before Joe looked back down at his notebook, hastily continuing to write as his face heated up.

_'How much have you written?' _Ptera asks.

_'The entire front side, an' I'm almost halfway down th' back.' _Joe answers.

_'Wow. That's a lot.'_

_ 'I know, but-'_

"AHA!" Pablo suddenly yells, the note book disappearing from Joe's hands.

"HEY!" Joe yells, jumping up and grabbing it before Pablo could start reading. "Don't ya DARE read-...Where's Sarisa?"

"Oh, Sam and I took her back to the classroom, so she and Mr. Khem are having a scientific debate on something I couldn't understand." Pablo tells him.

"...Shouldn't that worry ya?" Joe asks.

"Shouldn't this worry you?" Sam asks, the notebook yet again disappearing from Joe's hands.

"HEY!" Joe yells, about to tackle Sam only to have Pablo do that to him, pinning Joe down.

"'I'm very worried.'" Sam says, reading what Joe had written aloud. "'Why? Well, I asked th' most beautiful girl in the world if she wanted to hangout after school, even though Ptera keeps saying it's a date.'"

"STOP!" Joe yells, kicking Pablo off and grabbing the notebook from Sam's hands.

"You asked Sarisa on a date?!" Pablo asks, on his feet and smiling from ear to ear like an idiot.

"_NO!_" Joe yells, his face getting warmer.

"We're proud of you." Sam says, putting a hand on Joe's shoulder.

"IT AIN'T A DATE!" Joe yells in protest, then feeling the notebook disappear. Again.

"'She has the most beautiful golden hair that shines like the pure golden sunrays polished until you couldn't do it anymore.'" Pablo reads, Joe now trying to escape from Sam, who was holding him back. "'She as well has the sweetest, most adorable smile in the entire plain of existence. Every time I see it, I feel my insides melt and I feel as if I could spread wings and fly.'" Sam smiles, trying to hold back a laugh when Joe kicks the notebook out of Pablo's hands, Sam suddenly then pushing Joe right into Pablo, Sam catching the notebook with ease.

"'When I see her carrying her books, it looks like she's hugging them. It's so cute.'" Sam reads, smiling while Joe tries to tackle him, Pablo holding him back. "'But, it's her eyes that are the most beautiful part of her. They look like the purest and most perfect emeralds that contain the star of the midnight sky, and when her bangs cover her eyes so that it looks like she's peeking out from them, it's the most adorable thing in the world and makes me just wanna hug and kiss 'er.'"

"_STOP!_" Joe yells, then actually throwing Pablo at Sam, only to succeed in Sam handing the note book to Pablo, who does a back roll when he hits the ground, allowing him to come up on his feet, holding the notebook.

"'Her lips are full and pink, and so soft and smooth just thinking about them makes me go wild.'" Pablo says, still smiling. To angry to yell anything, Joe runs at Pablo, only to have Sam grab his ankle, causing him to fall down, Sam then jumping on top of him to pin him down.

"Keep reading!" Sam says.

"NO!" Joe yells, only to then have Sam put his hand over Joe's mouth.

"'But, none of that can compare to her inside beauty.'" Pablo continues. "'She is the nicest, sweetest person it has ever been my honor to meet, and I know she will go to the finest university in the world, for she has the mind of a genius.'"

At that, Sam and Pablo go into a laughing fit, Joe sitting on the ground with so much misery, it seemed to surround him.

He then takes out a Dino Medal, tosses it in the air, allowing his T-Rex to come out, who then looks down at him with question.

_'Uh...Joe?'_

"Eat me." Joe tells him.

_'What?! I can't-'_

"EAT ME. NOW." Joe tells him, looking up at the vivosaur.

A few minutes later...

The trio of boys walk down the hallway, Joe's notebook under his arm.

"So, are you taking her anywhere?" Sam asks.

"It ain't a date." Joe tells him, still embarrassed.

"But we're still proud of you." Pablo tells him, smiling.

"QUIET!" Joe yells, not wanting to put up with their teasing.

"Don't yell." Sam says, smacking Joe upside the head, forcing Joe to straighten his hat.

"Ahem." The three all look to see Mr. Khem standing there, looking at them from the doorway of the classroom. "What's with the yelling?"

"Nothing." The boys tell him in unison, Mr. Khem then taking notice of the dusty notebook under Joe's arm.

"...What's in there?" He asks.

"Nothin'!" Joe says.

"..." Mr. Khem stands there for a second, then shrugs, allowing the boys back into the classroom.

AFTA SCHOOL! ...After school...

Joe stands outside, nervous.

_What am I s'pose ta do? _He thinks. _I dunno what I'm doin'. How am I s'pose ta spend time with 'er when I can barely even talk ta 'er?!_

"Joe!" Sarisa calls, almost making Joe jump right out of his boots. He instead - trying to remain calm - turns to see her walking over to him, smiling. "So...what're we doing?"

"..." Joe says nothing, but beings to mentally panic. _I DIDN'T THINK ABOUT THAT! _"...Uh...Well...Is...Is there anywhere ya'd like ta go?"

"...Hmm..." Sarisa hums, thinking. She then smiles, getting an idea. "The park!"

"Alrighty, let's go." He says, hurrying down the front stairs and letting Ptera out of his medal.

Later...(again)

Joe and Sarisa walk through the park, Sarisa smiling while Joe was just downright nervous.

_Uhm...Alright, so far so good... _He thinks, both of them walking in silence. _...What should I do? I mean, I got no idea what I'm doin'._

_ 'Joe.' _Ptera says.

_'Yeah?'_

_ 'Tell her: If you were a flower, I'd pick you first!'_

_ 'I AIN'T SAYIN' THAT!' _

_'What? Why not?'_

_ 'That's a pick up line.'_

_ 'Oh...'_

There's silence for a second.

_'OOOOH!' _Ptera yells, excited all of a sudden. _'How about, since she wants to be a doctor: Did you know I'm missing a vital organ? It's my heart. You've stolen it.'_

_ 'NO.'_

_ '...'_

_ '...'_

_ 'AH! How about: Could you take a look at the scratch on my knee? I scraped it when I fell for you!'_

_ 'I AM NOT SAYIN' THAT EITHER!'_

_ 'Ohhhhh...You're not making this easy.'_

_ 'Who said-'_

_ 'OOOOOOOOOOH~! How about this: 'Sarisa, I don't feel so well. My heart's been pounding and jumping to my throat a lot, my temperature rises, I can't breathe or move, my mind is blank, and my face flushes. The only treatment I can think of is a kiss from you.' Then pull her close and kiss her!'_

_ '__**WHERE IN TARNATION ARE YA GETTIN' THESE ANY HOW?!**__'_

_ '...Uhhhh...That is classified information.' _

_ 'No, yer gettin' these from somewhere!'_

_ '...TV?'_

_ 'I don't watch stuff wit' that kinda stuff in 'em.'_

_ '...Internet?' _

_ 'Never been ta a website wit' that stuff either.'_

_ '...Uhm...'_

_ 'An' this don't really sound like ya made this stuff either.'_

This was true, of course. The speech would have been different had Ptera made it, and the way it sounded, a bit sophisticated and planned out, the ways the words flowed, it reminded him of...

_'SAM!' _Joe yells, realization filling him.

_'...He found out.' _Ptera says sadly.

_'How in tarnation has he been tellin' ya this stuff?!'_

_ 'Remember when he smacked you upside the head?'_

_ 'Yeah. So?'_

_ 'Well, when he did that, he inserted an earpiece into your ear, so I can communicate with him, and he's been feeding me these lines.'_

_ '...' _Joe says nothing, but then scratches the side of his head, knocking the ear piece from his ear, then stepping on it. _'That's better.'_

He then becomes aware that Sam had to be watching them.

"Uh...Ya wanna go ride on Ptera?" Joe asks, making Sarisa look at him. She smiles.

"Sure!"

Later...

Ptera flew through the sky with ease, Joe holding on with Sarisa's hands on his shoulders.

_'So, anywhere I can drop you two off?' _Ptera asks.

_'...I dunno.' _Joe tells him.

_'Well, I see a spot!' _He answers, veering to the right. He approaches a tall hill that was too steep for them to climb, but was surprisingly flat on top. There was no place to land, making Ptera land on a ledge on the side, a path going around the side, allowing access to the top. _'I'll wait here.'_

"...Sooo...Ya wanna head up top?" Joe asks.

"Alright." Sarisa tells him. He slides off, then helps Sarisa down, both of them then walking up the path. About halfway through, they come to where a fallen tree bridged a gap in the path, the gap reaching far down to where if a person fell they could be seriously injured. Joe steps up onto it, walks across, then steps off, looking back at Sarisa, who stood on the other side, looking at it.

"What's wrong?" Joe asks, having to raise his voice a bit.

"I'm worried it'll fall!" Sarisa tells him.

"C'mon, it held me up!" Joe tells her, smiling with reassurance. "And I gotta weigh twenty or thirty pound more than ya!"

"..." Sarisa says nothing, but looks at the tree, then shakes her head. "I just know it'll fall!"

"..." Joe sighs, steps up onto the fallen tree, walks across, steps down off it, and takes her hands, making himself tense. "C'mon." He steps back, Sarisa not moving her feet. He follows her eyes to see she was looking at the gap, which was worrying her.

_'I know how to get her across!' _Ptera says with glee.

_'You'll just suggest somethin' awkward.' _Joe tells him, looking back at Sarisa, getting his own idea. "Erm...Sarisa?"

"Yeah?" She asks, looking in his eyes.

"...J-just...Keep lookin' in my eyes." He tells her, then stepping back, leading her across the fallen tree, their eyes not looking away, no matter how nervous Joe got. "There we are." He says, they stepping off safely to the other side.

"Thanks." Sarisa tells him, both of them still looking each other in the eye.

"Yer welcome." Joe tells her, then becoming aware of the fact that he still held her hands, making him quickly release them and step back, his face heating up. "Uh, er, so...l-let's get goin'!" He says, then speed walking up the path, Sarisa following him. They reach the top, both of them looking around to see wild rose bushes growing at the top, the roses fully bloomed and pure white.

"These are beautiful!" Sarisa says, crouching next to a bush and looking at the rose on it. She fit in perfectly with the white roses somehow. Timidly going over, Joe sits down next to her, looking at the rose, then at Sarisa who sat there, smelling it.

"...Er...Sarisa?" Joe asks.

"Yes?" Sarisa asks, looking at him to see he was holding out one of the roses to her, looking at the ground in front of him, his face red and his hat hiding his eyes.

"This...Th-this is fer ya." He says, his voice holding uncertainty and nervousy.

"Oh...Th-thank you." She says, accepting it. Joe looks at her slightly, to see her natural blush had deepened some, which only made is heart pound.

_Why she gotta be so cute? _He thinks, getting stiff.

"...H-hey Joe?" Sarisa asks, making Joe stiffen more.

"...Y-y-yeah?" He stammers, his hat suddenly disappearing from his head.

"Got your hat!" Sarisa says, running off.

"Hey!" Joe yells, jumping to his feet and running after her. They run around, Joe trying to get his hat, only to have Sarisa be able to outrun him, make a sharp turn before he caught her, or be stuck having to run in circles around one of the wild rosebushes. After a bit, he instead makes a turn, allowing him to jump in front of Sarisa, catching her. "Got ya!"

"Hey!" She laughs, holding his hat out to where he couldn't reach it. A drop of water suddenly lands on Joe's head, making him look up at the cloud covered sky to see more drops of rain coming down as well.

"Uh...Hate ta be th' party pooper, but she we head back?"

"Well, there's no danger if there's no thunder. If there's no thunder, then there no lightning, so it'll be safe to fly."

"Ah..." He says. "Well, then gimme back mah hat!"

"Give me a good reason!" Sarisa smiles, holding the hat out to where Joe was still unable to reach it. He instead hugs her closer, kissing her cheek. Sarisa laughs as he kisses her again and again, a few minutes passing before they both realized it.

The next seconds, they were fifteen feet away from each other, on their knees with their backs to each other.

_HOW IN TARNATION COULD I GET SO CARRIED AWAY?! _Joe thinks, his face red and burning up. But, he had to admit, it did feel good having gotten to hold Sarisa in his arms and kiss her cheek repeatedly. After a few more minutes of awkward silence, Sarisa slowly looks over her shoulder at Joe.

"...Um...Joe?" She asks, her voice small and quiet.

"..." Joe tenses, then looks over his shoulder at her, both of them soaking wet due to the heavy rainfall. "Y-yeah...?"

"Uh...H-here's your hat." She says, quickly placing it down then looking away, her face getting red. Joe stands, walks over, retrieves his hat, and puts it on, then sits next to Sarisa. He puts his arm around her, his hand on her shoulder, making her look at him with surprise, Joe just pulling her closer, his other hand holding her head. Blushing, Sarisa blinks, both of them then leaning in and-

_**KRA-KOOOOOM!**_

The next thing they knew, they were hurrying down the path, knowing they had to get home.

"C'mon!" Joe urges, jumping onto the fallen log and running across it, Sarisa following. He jumps down onto the other side, looks back at Sarisa, then flinches as another loud thunder crash shook the air. The same thunder crash made Sarisa stop for a second, then keep hurrying, the log then slipping, due to the fact the dirt had been loosened from the rain.

The log was falling.

"SAIRSA!" Joe yells, grabbing the hood of her jacket and her hand, pulling her so hard he fell back, hugging her against him as the log fell, breaking apart as it hit the bottom of the gap.

"..." They sit in silence, Sarisa dazed from what happened and Joe holding her against him.

"...Thanks..." Sarisa says, her voice quiet, Joe just nodding in response. After a few more moments, they sit up, Sarisa looking up at the sky, then at the ground. "Really, thank you. I knew the log was falling, but it felt like everything was moving in such slow motion that..." Joe sits there as she talks, watching her. He still couldn't help but think about all the moments they had spent together, when he had first met her, the camping trip, her helping him study, the class trip, her sitting in the glade with moonlight and stars reflecting off her eyes, her skin looking like blue tinted ivory. All the times he had felt his heart starting to pound, his head get dizzy, that warm feeling filling his innards, all of it...

"Will ya go to th' senior dance wit' me?!" Joe suddenly blurts, his hands on her shoulders.

"..." Sarisa blinks, surprised.

"..." Joe quickly pulls his hands back. "I mean, ya don't gotta if ya wanna, I was jus' wonderin, but, uhm, I-"

"I loved to." Sarisa says, smiling. Joe blinks, utter happiness filling him.

Another loud thunder crash then had them running down the path, on Ptera, and heading off to take Sarisa home in an instant.

Later...

Joe lays on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

_'YOU ASKED HER!' _Ptera says with glee and delight. _'I'm so proud of you!'_

_ 'But we still gotta problem.' _Joe tells him.

_ 'What? What's wrong?!'_

_ 'I GOT NO IDEA HOW TA TIE A BOW TIE!'_

* * *

**AN-Other than that, he don't got no problems. XD**

**Ptera: That date was successful! :D**

**Joe: **_**IT WASN'T A DATE!**_

**Magma: Or was it?**

**Joe: -_-**

**Tabitha6000: Sorry. ^^; But, no, I've never heard of challenge day. What is it? ?_?**

**Omniverse: ...I'm not entirely sure.**

**Ivy Metal and Frost Blue Roses: Sorry if this wasn't good enough. -.-' I got lazy and I had to finish this in about an hour. CURSE YOU PROCRASTINATION!**

**mysterydude123: I'm not good with rhyming.**

**Magma: *sitting in corner with a cloud of misery above head* I feel like I did a terrible job on this...**


End file.
